Raisi:

Tehran (IP)- Iran's President in a meeting with the Chinese State Councilor and Defense Minister said that Iran-China top officials have a serious will to expand long-term strategic relations, regardless of international development.

Iran PressIran News: The Chinese Defense Minister, General Wei Fenghe, arrived in Tehran to meet with Iranian officials and started his mission by meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashtiani.

"Unilateralism and hegemony are for the control of countries and to prevent the sustainable economic growth of the world, and can be countered only through the cooperation of independent powers," said Iran President Ebrahim Raisi in his meeting with the Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe on Wednesday. 

"Our unique potentials in the fields of interregional transportation, energy, security, and regional infrastructure cooperation, are serious platforms for cooperation and investment," Raisi said.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Raisi pointed to the unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), saying, "The Americans wanted to put the most intense pressure on Iran by violating the JCPOA, but today they officially admit that they have failed miserably in exerting maximum pressure on Iran. The Iranian nation has shown that its ideal rights and demands can be achieved through resistance."

Stating that the definite policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is to expand long-term strategic relations with China in various fields, the President said, "We pursue the strategic relations regardless of international developments and based on mutual political trust, and the successful implementation of the 25-year comprehensive cooperation program is a priority in this regard."

For his part, Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe said, "Strengthening relations between Iran and China has always been a source of security for the region and the world, especially in the current critical and turbulent world."

"Iran and China can cooperate on all global issues and contribute to the development of world peace and tranquility," he added. "Unilateralism hinders the sustainable economic growth of the world."

Before the meeting, Wei Fenghe, who arrived in Tehran on Wednesday morning, met with his Iranian counterpart Brigadier-General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani.

He also met and held talks with the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri. During the meeting, the latest international and regional developments, the expansion of strategic, defense and security relations, and the ways to improve the interaction level between the two armed forces were discussed.

Iraq needs laws for preventing threats to neighbors

Iran's President calls on Iraq to ratify laws in order to prevent the formation of the elements threatening the security and stability of the neighboring countries and the region.

Receiving Iraq's Parliament Speaker on Wednesday, Ebrahim Raisi stressed the unity of the Iraqi factions and ethnicities, noting that gaps between sects and ethnicities would lead to the destruction of the country's interests. 

The Speaker of the Council of Representatives of Iraq, Mohammad al-Halbousi, arrived at Mehrabad International Airport on Wednesday morning at the head of a delegation. 

Raisi expressed hope that the new Iraqi government would be formed as soon as possible to solve the Iraqi people's problems and shore up Iraq's comprehensive ties with the neighboring countries, particularly Iran. 

Iraq's Parliament Speaker Mohammad al-Halbousi for his part supported Raisi's comments and said the delegation accompanying him were representatives of different ethnicities and religions which was indicative of Iraqis' interest in strengthening ties with Iran.

"Both of the countries have passed hard times; we should make a different future for our nations and I do try to make Iran and Iraq the friends of both hard and prosperous times," he said.

Mohammad al-Halbousi was elected again the Parliament Speaker of Iraq.  

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