TEHRAN – An expert in Russian affairs has said Moscow can help Iran circumvent the U.S. sanctions in three fields. 

“The first field is exporting oil, the second is importing foreign exchange and establishing banking transaction, and the third is cooperating to import some strategic products,” Shuaib Bahman said, ISNA reported on Wednesday.

Highlighting the importance of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s visit to Moscow on Wednesday, Bahman said Russia, as one of the biggest countries in the world and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council Russia, “has vast political and economic capabilities in the world and is politically very important for Iran.” 

He added that Tehran and Moscow enjoy close ties and still need to expand their relations.

“Although economic relations between Tehran and Moscow have not developed in recent years, the two countries can cooperate in numerous fields,” the expert remarked.

Bahman added that Tehran can use its ties with Moscow to hamper the negative impacts of U.S. sanctions.

Tensions have risen between Tehran and Washington since the Trump administration withdrew a year ago from a 2015 international nuclear deal with Iran and began ratcheting up sanctions to throttle the Islamic Republic’s economy.

MH/PA