The Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Iranian counterpart Massoud Pezeshkian today, as Tehran supplies Moscow with weapons for its war against Ukraine and fears grow of an escalation in attacks between Israel and Iran and the groups it supports, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
Putin and Pezeshkian discussed the situation in the Middle East on the sidelines of an international forum in the Turkmenistan capital Ashgabat, Russian state media reported.
Moscow and Tehran signed a $1.7m deal to export drones from Iran to Russia after Kiev forces invaded Ukraine in 2022, and the US believes Tehran is also supplying Moscow with ballistic missiles with a short range.
Earlier this week, the two sides were accused by the head of Britain's MI5 intelligence agency, Ken McCallum, of a “stunning” a rise in attempted murder, sabotage and other crimes within the UK. McCallum indicated that his agents and the police had uncovered 20 “potentially lethal“ Iran-backed plot since 2022 and warned that Tehran could expand its targets in Britain if the conflict in the Middle East deepens.
During the meeting between the two heads of state, Putin told Pezeshkian that the positions of Moscow and Tehran on the international stage are very close, the Russian news agency TASS reported. He invited the Iranian leader to visit Russia and the invitation was accepted, the agency specified.
„Now we have many opportunities and we should try to help each other in our relationships. Our principles, our positions on the international scene are similar to yours”, Pezeshkian said at the beginning of his meeting with Putin.
The Iranian president indicated that Israel's “fierce attacks” against Lebanon are indescribable.
The Israeli army sent ground troops into southern Lebanon and carried out airstrikes in the country against the fighters of the Lebanese-backed group “Hezbollah”.
During the opening of the forum today, Putin said he wants to create a “new world order” by Moscow's allies to oppose the West, according to a video released by the Kremlin.
The conference is attended by other regional leaders, including Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, and the heads of other Central Asian countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Putin is also expected to hold talks with Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, who was elected in March 2022 and succeeded his father Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who has ruled the natural gas-rich country since 2006.
Since becoming independent after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Turkmenistan has remained largely isolated under the rule of autocratic rulers.