“Russia has friendly partner-like relations with Iran,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. | Getty Kremlin breaks with Trump on Iran

The Kremlin on Monday disagreed with President Donald Trump’s description of Iran as “the No. 1 terrorist state.”

“Russia has friendly partner-like relations with Iran,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call Monday, according to Reuters. “We cooperate on a wide range of issues, value our trade ties, and hope to develop them further.”


Russia’s stance is at odds with Trump, who blasted the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran in an interview with Fox News host Bill O’Reilly broadcast Sunday during pre-game Super Bowl coverage. He wouldn’t say, however, whether he would back out of the deal.

“I mean, we’re going to see what happens. I can say this: They have total disregard for our country,” Trump said. “They are the No. 1 terrorist state. They’re sending money all over the place — and weapons. And — can’t do that.”

Trump on Sunday also seemed to defend the notion that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “a killer,” telling O’Reilly that America has “a lot of killers” and asking, “You think our country’s so innocent?”

Trump has signaled a willingness to thaw relations with Russia and work with the Kremlin to defeat the Islamic State. He said he respects Russia’s authoritarian leader but maintained that he has “no idea” whether the two will get along.

Trump and Putin spoke for an hour by phone late last month, according to a readout from the White House. Topics included destroying the Islamic State, working to achieve peace in Syria and repairing the relationship between both nations.

“It’s no secret for anyone that Moscow and Washington hold diametrically opposed views on many international issues,” Peskov said. “That should not be an obstacle when it comes to forging normal communication and pragmatic mutually-beneficial relations between Russia and the United States.”