Following St. Petersburg blast, Iran stresses cooperation with Russia in anti-terror fight

EghtesadOnline: A senior Iranian official has condemned the Monday deadly explosion in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, calling for more cooperation between Tehran and Moscow in fighting terrorism.

News ID: ۷۴۰۷۸۶

06 April 2017

“The barbaric crimes committed by terrorist groups against defenseless civilians show that an effective, all-out fight against these inhuman elements, the origin of their thoughts and their supporters should top the security priorities of the international community,” Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani said in a Wednesday message to his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev.

Shamkhani called for further cooperation between Tehran and Moscow against terrorism, according to PressTV.

“Undoubtedly, indiscriminate [terror] acts by the defeated terrorists have not dented the strong determination of the countries that are forerunners of the fight against Takfiri terrorism and will cause more severe action against them,” he added.

The St. Petersburg metro explosion killed 14 and injured almost 50 others.

The Russian Investigative Committee said the bombing had been carried out by a man whose body parts were found on the train.

Security services in Kyrgyzstan said a national of the Central Asian state was behind the St. Petersburg explosion.

Also on Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, condemning the St. Petersburg blast.

He also offered condolences to the Russian government and nation over the attack.

The two top diplomats also exchanged views on the latest developments in the region, including in Syria, as well as the implementation of bilateral agreements signed during a recent visit by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to Moscow.

Rouhani visited Russian late last month to discuss regional issues and matters of mutual interest with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and other senior Russian officials.

During the visit, Iran and Russia signed 14 documents of cooperation in various political, economic, judicial, legal, scientific and cultural fields.