By Dimitri Simes | April 14, 2021 | 6:39pm EDT Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images) Moscow (CNSNews.com) – Russia is “working actively” to move away from the U.S. dollar and Western payment systems, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a visit to Iran this week. During an interview with Iran’s state-owned IRNA news agency. Lavrov argued that U.S. sanctions against the Iranian regime made “it important to step up efforts to reduce risks associated with sanctions and potential expenses for economic operators.” “In particular, gradual steps should be taken to move towards de-dollarization of national economies and transition to payments in national or alternative currencies, as well as to stop using international payment systems controlled by the West,” he said. “Russia has been working actively to that end. We see great prospects for cooperation in that field with all interested international partners.”