Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday he wants more talks with Russia about what he called the "illegal" U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
President Donald Trump pulled the United States from the accord on May 8, calling it "a horrible one-sided deal," and said he would reimpose U.S. economic sanctions on Iran.
Speaking at a summit of the Chinese and Russian-led security bloc the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in the port city of Qingdao, Rouhani said that Russia's role in implementing the nuclear deal had been "important and constructive."
"Concerning the nuclear deal, I have to say that the Russian Federation played an important role in the fulfillment of these agreements. I think our two countries need a more important and constructive dialogue on the illegal withdrawal of the U.S. from the deal," Rouhani said.
"As to our countries' cooperation on securing safety and stability in the region – it is getting stronger every day. I think you will agree with me that Russian-Iranian cooperation in fighting terrorism and various radical groups turned out fairly effective. And the role of our cooperation in the region is strong and important."
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the two countries have "successfully collaborated on the Syrian crisis. And there is something to speak about because we have solid results."
