Russia and Iran have agreed to expand trade and deepen economic cooperation between their countries, and criticized Western nations' sanctions.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran on Thursday.

They reportedly agreed to cooperate in fields such as finance, agriculture and energy.

In a joint news conference, Lavrov said that the United States and its allies were trying to prevent development and exchanges between Russia and Iran with "illegal sanctions."

Lavrov said trade between the two countries grew last year amid the "discriminatory behavior" of Western nations. He said the utmost efforts will be made to continue this trend.

Amir-Abdollahian said Iran opposes "illegal sanctions" against Russia. He said the two countries made an important agreement to counter the sanctions and that it must be put into action.

Western countries have piled sanctions against Russia after it invaded Ukraine. Iran's trade deals with the West have diminished after the administration of former US President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions on Tehran after unilaterally withdrawing from a 2015 nuclear agreement.