![Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (L) , Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (not seen) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) hold a joint press conference following the 4th trilateral summit on Syria on 14 February 2019 in Sochi, Russia. [Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/20190214_2_34951413_41691552.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani discussed their countries’ fights against COVID-19 and Iran’s nuclear program.
The two presidents “agreed to continue their cooperation in the area, including between their healthcare ministries,” Moscow’s Kremlin said in an official statement that appeared on its website.
Putin and Rouhani also discussed the Iran nuclear deal that was signed in Vienna, in 2015, between Iran and the permanent members of the UN Security Council, along with Germany and the European Union.
Putin said during the call that the deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was “vital for the maintenance of global stability and security”, according to the Kremlin’s statement.
READ: Putin opposes US plan to extend Iran sanctions
For his part, Rouhani affirmed his country’s commitment to the JCPOA and its readiness “for equal and constructive cooperation both with all of its signatories and within the IAEA.”
He expressed gratitude to Moscow for its support for preserving and implementing the Iran nuclear deal.
The deal, from which the US withdrew in 2018, limits Iran’s nuclear activities in return for lifting the sanctions long imposed on the country