Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi is preparing to visit Russia following an invitation from his counterpart Vladimir Putin, an Iranian government spokesman said Tuesday, a first since 2017, Alarabiya News reports.
Putin has invited Raisi to Moscow early next year “in the framework of strategic interaction between Iran and Russia”, said Ali Bahadori Jahromi.
It will be Raisi's most important official visit abroad since he took over the presidency in August from moderate Hassan Rouhani, who had travelled to Russia in March 2017.
“I hope that the president of Iran will accept my invitation and visit Russia early next year,” Putin had told a joint news conference with the Greek premier earlier this month, according to the Kremlin's official website.