Hawzah News Agency - Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Islamic Republic of Iran is pioneer in the fight against terrorism and terrorist activities.  

“According to the circumstantial evidence, Islamic Republic of Iran itself is a victim of terrorism and is one of the pioneers in the serious fight against terrorism,” 

While rejecting the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s claim over Iran's link with the al-Qaeda terrorist group, Zakharova restated that Iran itself is a victim of terrorism and is a vanguard in seriously fight against terrorist activities.

She highlighted that there is no evidence on Tehran's possible links to the group (al-Qaeda).

She went on to say that there is a lot of evidence that shows Iran is seriously fighting against terrorists, for example in Syria and Iraq.

US officials are silent on the evidence of Iran's effective fight against terrorism, and their behavior suggests undermining the key role of the Islamic Republic of Iran in this regard, she continued.

In response to a question about the prospects for the development of Iran-Russia relations in 2021, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said, "Iran-Russia relations are continuously developing in various fields and these relations are based on the principles of good neighborliness and mutual respect. The two sides are mutually determined to expand cooperation and interaction in various fields.”