Russian President Pledges Support for Iran in Talks with Iranian FM in Russia

Iranian Embassy UK's X Account

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian Foreign ​Minister Abbas Araqchi.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in St. Petersburg on Monday and told him ‌he hoped the Iranian people would weather what he described as a "difficult period" and that peace would soon prevail.

Russia has offered to mediate to try to help restore calm to the Middle East following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, ⁠which Moscow has condemned. It has also repeatedly offered to store Iran's enriched uranium as a way of defusing tensions, an offer the United States has not taken up.

“For our part, we will do everything that serves your interests and the interests of all the peoples of the region to ensure that peace is achieved as quickly as possible,” President Putin told Araqchi, according to ‌Russian ⁠state media.

"Last week I received a message from Iran’s Supreme Leader. I would like to ask you to convey my most sincere thanks for this and to confirm that Russia, like Iran, intends to continue ⁠our strategic relationship," President Putin added.

Iran last year sealed a 20-year strategic partnership agreement with Moscow, Russia is building two new nuclear units at Bushehr, ⁠the site of Iran's only nuclear power plant, and Iran supplied Russia with Shahed drones for use against Ukraine.

Araqchi said ⁠relations between Russia and Iran would continue to strengthen and thanked Putin for Moscow's support, the state RIA news agency reported.

The Iranian foreign minister said relations between Moscow and Tehran represent a "strategic partnership" that will "continue to strengthen", according to remarks broadcast on Russian state television.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the BBC, Russia was ready to offer "goodwill or mediation services acceptable to both sides" in future negotiations on a settlement with Iran.

"We will be ready to do everything to ensure that peace, a guaranteed peace, ultimately prevails and that there is no return to hostilities", he added.

According to Russian state-run news agency Tass, the Russian president has told Araghchi that the Iranian people are courageously fighting for their sovereignty. Tass also quoted President Putin as saying that he hopes Iran will find peace after overcoming this difficult period.

The news agency also said that President Putin told Araghchi that Russia "will do everything to bring peace to the Middle East as soon as possible".

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi laid out Iran's demands and its reservations about U.S. positions on Saturday as Pakistan made a new push to end a war that has killed thousands and shaken global energy markets.

After holding talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other top officials, Araqchi and his delegation flew out of Pakistan's capital Islamabad with a military jet escort, Reuters reported citing government sources. Details of the ‌talks were scant.
 
Araqchi "explained our country's principled positions regarding the ⁠latest developments related to the ceasefire and the complete end of the imposed war against Iran", said a statement on the minister's official Telegram account.
 
After holding talks in Pakistan, Araqchi flew to Oman - another mediator in the war - where he met the country's leader, Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, on Sunday.

They discussed security in the strait and Araqchi called for a regional security framework free of outside interference, according to Iran's foreign ministry.

Araqchi later returned to Islamabad, Iranian state media reported. Pakistani government sources said, according to Reuters, he would hold talks with the country's leadership before heading to Moscow.

Source: Reuters, BBC



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