Rouhani praises Putin, hails expanded ties with Russia
Rouhani's expression of gratitude came a few weeks after his foreign minister was caught in a leaked audio, complaining about Russian attempts to put a spike in the wheel of the 2015 multilateral talks that culminated in the Iran nuclear deal.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said his country's already "friendly relations" with Russia have expanded during his eight years in office, as he expressed "gratitude" to his "esteemed" Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
Rouhani made the comments during a virtual inauguration ceremony for the launch of a 1,400-megawatt power plant in the southern province of Hormozgan. The plant is to be built in association with Russia.
