PRESIDENT Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran will help Zimbabwe fight sanctions imposed by western countries, reports said.

Ahmadinejad made the remarks during a meeting with Zimbabwe’s Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Didymus Mutasa, in Tehran on Monday.

The Islamic Republic will stand by Zimbabwe against "illegal pressure," he was quoted as saying by Press TV.

Ahmadinejad said Iran has always condemned “the illegal pressure imposed by hegemonistic powers meant to force the Zimbabweans to surrender”.

“He praised the African nation for its resistance against the odds and predicted that independent nations would have a bright future,” the report added.

Ahmadinejad also called for the implementation of all the agreements signed by the two nations.

Mutasa relayed Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's message to the Iranian President.

He also asked Iran to increase cooperation with Zimbabwe and to invest more in the country.

The European Union and the United States insist that sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe only hurt those responsible for political violence including President Robert Mugabe and close to 200 senior government officials.