TEHRAN, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Iran and Russia will boost cooperation following the sanctions imposed by the United States, which will become the "main loser," a senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Sunday.
Ties between Iran and Russia will become even deeper and stronger after the sanctions, Ali Akbar Velayati said during a meeting with the visiting director of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Tehran and Moscow have taken great steps during recent years to boost strategic relations and succeeded in increasing the ties, particularly in the field of trade, Velayati said.
The two countries are currently working to boost cooperation in political, economic, security and defense sectors, he added.
Velayati warned of a clear and strong response to the U.S., saying that the Islamic republic is capable of adopting reciprocal measures in the face of any U.S. move against the country's national interests.
On Thursday, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill that would slap tougher sanctions on Russia, Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The United States has imposed new ballistic missile sanctions on Iran in response to what it called Tehran's "continued provocative actions."
The new round of sanctions on Russia intends to punish Moscow for the alleged "meddling" in last year's U.S. presidential election.
