Relations between Russia and Iran have reached a new level despite opposition from much of the Western world, Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said during his visit to Teheran on Wednesday.

"We are aiming at an entire range of planned activities, despite opposition from the United States and its Western allies," the Interfax news agency cited Shoigu as saying.

"Sanctions pressure on Russia and Iran shows its futility, while Russian-Iranian interaction is reaching a new level."

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)