Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday, with the two leaders discussing sanctions, trade and the continuing conflict involving Iran and the United States.
The meeting took place during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek. It was the first time Pezeshkian and Putin had met since fighting began in February. Pezeshkian thanked Russia for backing Iran during the conflict and for supporting Tehran while it has faced economic restrictions from Washington.
Pezeshkian said Iran views its ties with Russia as strategic. He argued that cooperation between the two countries, including through groups such as the SCO, could reduce the effects of US sanctions. He also criticized Washington’s use of sanctions and accused the United States of acting against international law.
Putin expressed support for Iran and said Russia would continue working with the country even with the current political and military tensions. According to his comments at the meeting, Moscow has been trying to assist Tehran and provide goods that Iran needs.
Economic issues were part of the talks as well. Putin said trade between the two countries would continue despite the pressure surrounding Iran. The Iranian presidency later said the leaders reviewed the current state of Russian-Iranian relations and talked about increasing cooperation in several areas.
Russia and Iran have developed closer economic and military relations in recent years. According to reports included in accounts of the meeting, Russia has also provided satellite imagery and intelligence to Iran. That information has reportedly assisted Iranian efforts against American facilities around the Persian Gulf.
Their talks came only days after fresh military action in the six-month conflict. On Aug. 30, the United States said its forces struck Iranian rocket launchers located on an island in the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran then responded with attacks against American military targets in Jordan.
An earlier attempt to stop the fighting did not last. Iran and the United States agreed to a memorandum of understanding in June that was meant to bring the war to an end, but the arrangement later broke down. Putin said Russia had supported that agreement before the cease-fire failed.
The United States later brought back its naval blockade and increased economic pressure on Iran. Iran, meanwhile, has kept tight control over the Strait of Hormuz and has effectively prevented international shipping from using the waterway. The strait is an important route for global shipments of oil and gas.
Pezeshkian said Iran has not ruled out returning to diplomacy. He told the summit that Tehran would respond if Washington once again followed the commitments it made under the June agreement.
Putin arrived in Bishkek with a Russian delegation that included Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Deputy Prime Minister Aleksei Overchuk. Officials working in energy, transportation, economic development, nuclear energy and military cooperation were also part of the delegation.
The Russian president held separate talks with several other leaders while in Bishkek, including China’s Xi Jinping, India’s Narendra Modi and Kazakhstan’s Qasym-Jomart Toqaev. Meetings with leaders from Turkey, Tajikistan, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan were also on his schedule.
USA = Green
Iran = Red
Russia = Orange
Kyrgyzstan = Blue
Jordan = Purple
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