Iran president thanks Putin for Russia’s stance in war with US

Masoud Pezeshkian used his first meeting with Vladimir Putin since the Iran-US conflict began to thank Moscow for standing with Tehran during the war and under US sanctions.

“We appreciate and thank you for your positions at every stage, both during the period when the fighting and acts of aggression were taking place and under normal circumstances, when the United States was imposing sanctions on us, both at the United Nations and in international forums,” Pezeshkian told Putin on Tuesday.

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We appreciate and thank you for your positions at every stage, both during the period when the fighting and acts of aggression were taking place and under normal circumstances, when the United States was imposing sanctions on us, both at the United Nations and in international forums.

He added: “This shows that our relationship is a strategic relationship; it is not an ordinary relationship.” The presidents met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. An earlier statement from the Iranian presidency said they reviewed bilateral relations and discussed ways to expand cooperation across several fields.

The meeting came as Iran prepares for any possible US move to return to a June memorandum aimed at ending the war. Pezeshkian has said Iran would respond immediately if Washington returned to its commitments under the agreement.

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This shows that our relationship is a strategic relationship; it is not an ordinary relationship.

The conflict erupted on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and senior military officials, according to the report. Iran retaliated with attacks across the region. Tehran later blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, a major global energy route, while Washington imposed a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports.

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I state explicitly that if the United States returns to its commitments under the aforementioned Memorandum of Understanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran will immediately take reciprocal action.

An April 8 ceasefire ended the most intense fighting, but sporadic attacks near the Strait of Hormuz have continued and weakened prospects for a final peace agreement. The United States has since moved toward what it calls a campaign of “economic asphyxiation” against Iran.

Russia has deepened its military and economic ties with Iran since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. During a meeting in Saint Petersburg in late April, Putin told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that Moscow would do “everything” it could to help secure peace in the Middle East.

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