MOSCOW: Russia’s state news agency RIA on Monday quoted Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, as saying Moscow could assist Iran in its investigation of the crash that killed President Ebrahim Raisi. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin phoned Iran’s new interim president as Moscow made clear its desire to preserve and build on its deepening relationship with Tehran despite the sudden death of Raisi. The Kremlin said Putin expressed his condolences to interim President Mohammad Mokhber and to the Iranian people over Raisi’s death in a helicopter crash, describing Raisi as a “reliable partner who made an invaluable personal contribution” to bilateral relations. “Both sides emphasized their mutual desire to further consistently strengthen comprehensive Russian-Iranian interaction for the benefit of the peoples of the two countries,” the Kremlin said in its readout of the Putin-Mokhber call. Since the state of the war in Ukraine, Russia has moved to strengthen its political, trade and military ties with Iran in a deepening relationship that the US and Israel view with concern. In January, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said a new interstate treaty reflecting the “unprecedented upswing” in Russia-Iran ties was in the final stages of being agreed, and Putin and Raisi were expected to sign it soon. Putin held five hours of talks with Raisi in the Kremlin in December and had spoken to him by phone in March and April, according to the Kremlin website. Russia’s deputy foreign minister said on Monday that Moscow expected all agreements with Iran to be implemented, state news agency RIA reported. The Kremlin said that Putin had spoken to the Iranian ambassador to Moscow late on Sunday night following news of the helicopter crash.