China will conduct a joint naval exercise with Iran and Russia this week, days after Tehran rejected US president Donald Trump’s call for nuclear talks. The drills in the Gulf of Oman come amid speculation in Washington that Mr Trump’s embrace of Russian president Vladimir Putin could drive a diplomatic wedge between Moscow and Beijing.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov discussed international efforts to resolve the situation around Iran's nuclear programme with Iranian ambassador Kazem Jalali, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Senior Iranian and Russian diplomats convened in Moscow this week to address regional security challenges, particularly the crises in Syria and Palestine, underscoring deepening strategic cooperation between the two nations.

Over the past three years, the partnership has become deeper still, as Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine, and the resulting Western pressure, have helped transform Russia into an international pariah. That has turned the Islamic Republic into something resembling a lifeline for Mr. Putin’s government.

The naval drills, which include "striking maritime targets," will "strengthen military mutual trust" between Beijing, Moscow and Tehran, China said.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov landed in Tehran on Tuesday for talks with Iranian officials, Iranian state media reported, days after Moscow held initial talks with the U.S. just a month after Donald Trump returned to the White House.

Senior Russian officers have visited Iranian missile sites throughout the past year as military ties developed; unclear if they have specific expertise in nuclear weapons

Keith Kellogg warns of a growing security threat from a deepening alliance between Tehran, Moscow, Beijing and Pyongyang.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that future talks between Russia and the United States would include discussions on Iran’s nuclear program, a subject it said had been “touched upon” in an initial round of U.

Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araqchi says Iran and Russia are determined to continue political and technical consultations on international and multilateral issues.

Iranian Deputy Minister of Transport and head of the Civil Aviation Organization, Hossein Pourfarzaneh, met in Moscow with Dmitry Yadrov, Russia’s Deputy Minister of Transport and head of Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he wants to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran and sent a letter to its leadership this week suggesting talks with the Islamic Republic, which the West fears is rapidly nearing the capability to make atomic weapons.