[Armenian News note: the below is translated from Persian]

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has received the visiting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, lauded the historical relations between Tehran and Yerevan and called for the improvement of ties, Leader's official website Khamenei.ir reported on 27 February.

"Despite the Americans' wish, Iran and Armenia should maintain steady, strong, and friendly relations," the leader's website quoted Khamenei as saying. He added: "Americans are totally untrustworthy and they seek to incite unrest, spread corruption, sow discord, and instigate wars wherever they are. They also oppose Iran's [good] relations with Armenia, [which is] to the interests of the [two] nations. But we should boost our ties and our cooperation as a duty."

Speaking the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, Iran's Supreme Leader offered that Tehran can help resolving the issue and advised Armenia and Azerbaijan Republic to continue negotiations in this regard.

Khamenei also praised the ethnic Armenian community in Iran for the "sacrifices they made" during the Iran-Iraq war and lauded the historical friendship between the two nations.

"Iran and Armenia have never had any trouble in their relations. We are required to maintain good relations with our neighbouring countries according to the edicts of Islam. Of course, American officials such as John Bolton cannot understand the human dimensions of these issues," Khamenei told Pashinyan.

For his part, Pashinyan said Armenia "has never took part in any anti-Iranian action and it will never do so in future" and added that in his opinion, improvement of ties with Tehran is in the interests of the Armenian people.

Pashinyan arrived in Tehran this morning and was received by the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. The two of them held a news conference earlier, in which Iran announced that it will be increasing natural gas exports to Armenia.