IRNA – Moscow is taking steps to minimize the adverse effect of the US' sanctions on its relations with Iran, said the spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, while describing the sanctions as 'illegitimate.'

In a press briefing on Thursday, Maria Zakharova said the sanctions Washington is imposing on Iran are 'illegitimate' and Russia is to adopt measures to ensure that the sanctions have as little impact as possible on its business with Tehran.

'I would like to once again affirm Russia's principled position that US unilateral sanctions are illegitimate. We are taking measures to ensure that they have minimal negative impact on Russian-Iranian trade and economy cooperation,' Zakharova said, according to Sputnik report.

She also referred to Iran's Sirik thermal power plant in the southern country, and the construction of the second and the third units of Bushehr nuclear power plant as instances of economic cooperation between Tehran and Moscow, particularly in the field of energy.