"We are in favor of long-term and multi-level cooperation with Iran and welcome the Iranian leadership's attempts to expanding its ties with Russia, including in military defense," Shoigu said during talks with Iranian Defense and Armed Forces Logistics Minister Hossein Dehghan in the country's capital of Tehran.
"We have common challenges and threats in the region that we can oppose only if we communicate," the Russian defense chief added.
The Russian minister arrived in Iran on Monday for a two-day visit aimed at restoring cooperation between Moscow and Tehran. It is the first visit by a Russian defense chief to the country in 15 years.
Over the past few decades, the UN Security Council has imposed rounds of sanctions, including a complete arms embargo, against Iran over its controversial nuclear program.
In September 2010, Russia's then-President Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree implementing a UN resolution against Iran, which resulted the freezing of an $800-million deal to deliver five S-300 surface-to-air missile defense systems to the country. Tehran responded by filing a $4-billion lawsuit with the International Court of Arbitration in Geneva against Russian state arms exporter Rosoboronexport.
