Khamenei's Call for Increased Iran-Russia Cooperation to 'Contain America'

The leader of the Islamic Republic, in a meeting with the President of Russia, called for increased cooperation between the two countries to, as he put it, 'contain America' and also for economic transactions outside the dollar framework. According to the IRNA news agency, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday, September 7, during a meeting with Vladimir Putin, called for cooperation between the two countries to 'contain America' and added that this country 'is a danger to humanity and can be contained'. He considered Syria a 'successful example of containing America' and stated that 'the Americans have now suffered a real defeat in Syria and have not achieved their goals'. Khamenei's remarks come at a time when Vladimir Putin had said in May of this year during a meeting with Bashar al-Assad that foreign troops must leave Syria in the stage of establishing peace. Following that, Alexander Lavrentiev, Putin's envoy on Syrian affairs, emphasized that this warning also includes Iranian forces and Hezbollah. Ayatollah Khamenei also regarded the sanctions against Iran, Russia, and Turkey by the US as 'a very strong common point' for expanding cooperation and emphasized conducting economic exchanges and transactions outside the dollar framework. The request of the leader of the Islamic Republic comes at a time when, according to the Associated Press, since the US withdrawal from the JCPOA on May 8 of this year, the value of Iran's national currency has decreased by more than 140%. Ayatollah Khamenei had also called for the elimination of the 'dollar' in bilateral and multilateral economic exchanges in a meeting with the Russian president on November 1, 2017, so that, according to him, US sanctions would become 'ineffective'. The statements of the leader of the Islamic Republic about the common ground with Russia regarding US sanctions come at a time when Russia, like Saudi Arabia and some other OPEC members, believes they can compensate for the production decline of other members, but Iran states that only countries that have reduced production excessively are allowed to increase oil production. This country, along with Saudi Arabia and some Arab countries in the Persian Gulf, has significantly increased its production, which faced a wave of protests from Iranian officials. According to a report from the office of the leader of the Islamic Republic, the President of Russia also stated in this meeting: 'The Americans are making a strategic mistake by creating restrictions on financial exchanges because, at the cost of a short-term political success, they will undermine trust in the dollar in the global arena and weaken it.' Iran and Russia are under extensive US sanctions for various reasons. While Iran is sanctioned for its nuclear program, the missile program of the Revolutionary Guards, and 'human rights violations', Russia is targeted by Washington's sanctions for the occupation of Crimea and its annexation to its territory, as well as what has been described as interference in the 2016 US presidential election. On the other hand, relations between Ankara and Washington have recently been strained due to the imprisonment of American pastor Andrew Brunson in Turkey, and the US has recently doubled import tariffs on steel and aluminum from that country. Putin: Europeans are subject to the US on the JCPOA. Ayatollah Khamenei also described the Russian president's views on the JCPOA as 'benevolent' and added that 'the Islamic Republic of Iran will take a position on the JCPOA that is in the interest of the country's and the nation's dignity'. He added: 'Iran has so far adhered to its commitments under the JCPOA, but the Europeans have not fulfilled their obligations, and it is unacceptable for us to fully comply with our commitments under the JCPOA while they do not fulfill theirs.' Ayatollah Khamenei also stated that US officials 'are currently raising issues regarding Iran, missile issues, and regional issues, but their issue with the Islamic Republic of Iran goes beyond these issues.' According to this report, the President of Russia also stated in this meeting: 'The Americans have worsened the conditions with their inappropriate actions, and the Europeans, due to their dependence on the US, are practically subject to them, although they claim to be looking for ways to preserve the JCPOA.' The leader of the Islamic Republic emphasized on September 29 that 'any negotiation with the Americans is out of the question' and announced that Hassan Rouhani's government should not have hope in the Europeans regarding the JCPOA and the economy. After that, Abbas Araqchi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, announced that Tehran has given European countries until November 5 to provide a practical solution for buying oil and trading with Iran. Islamic Republic officials have declared the purchase of oil and banking transactions as Iran's most important expectations from the European Union. However, Europe's daily oil purchases from Iran, which were about 740,000 barrels in March, fell to 387,000 barrels in August. In a meeting with the President of Turkey, the leader of the Islamic Republic also stated that the US is 'worried about the cooperation and closeness of Islamic countries and the formation of an Islamic power'. Ayatollah Khamenei added: 'The Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey are two honorable and powerful countries in the region and have common motivations for the Islamic world, therefore, the cooperation between the two countries in political and economic fields should be expanded more than ever.' Iran and Russia are the main supporters of Bashar al-Assad, while Turkey is considered a supporter of several opposition groups against Assad; all three countries began negotiations regarding the Syrian crisis in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, which ultimately led to agreements, including the establishment of ceasefire zones in Syria. However, at the meeting on Friday in Tehran, the presidents of Iran and Russia did not agree to the Turkish president's request to include the necessity of establishing a ceasefire in Idlib in the Tehran meeting's statement, and it was only stated that the three countries 'will follow the situation in the Idlib de-escalation zone'.