Iran slams CIA director's claims about Tehran-Moscow cooperation as "propaganda war"

TEHRAN, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman slammed Sunday the "baseless claims" by the director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) about military cooperation between Tehran and Moscow as part of the U.S. "propaganda war" against Iran.

"To continue their baseless political claims and illegal anti-Iran actions, the U.S. officials have now cast doubt on the conventional defense and military cooperation between Tehran and Moscow," a statement published on the Foreign Ministry's website quoted Nasser Kanaani as saying.

He added that the U.S. propaganda campaign, which is based on "falsification and deception," is aimed at "putting Iran under political pressure, promoting Iranophobia and covering up its own bellicosity."

Kanaani reiterated that cooperation between Iran and Russia in different areas, particularly the defense sector, is not against any third country.

In an interview with the American PBS TV channel on Friday, CIA Director William Burns voiced concern about the growing cooperation between Iran and Russia.

Ukraine and Western countries have recently accused Iran of exporting suicide drones to Russia for use in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Iran has repeatedly rejected the allegations as "baseless."