Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei in Moscow to discuss regional security as diplomatic efforts accelerate to end the US and Israel’s war against Iran. During Thursday’s meeting, Rezaei also delivered a letter to Putin from Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, according to Iranian state broadcaster Press TV. region, as well as Russia’s support for ending what it called the United States’ “aggression” against Iran. “Important regional issues were discussed with Putin and significant talks were held on the post-war period and regional security arrangements,” he said. Other issues, he said, included plans to deepen energy cooperation, including the construction of gas pipelines from Russia to Iran. Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said Khamenei had wanted him to deliver the message to Putin as soon as possible. The trip to Moscow had been planned almost a month earlier, he said, but was postponed due to “daily discussions about the military situation in the region.” He did not say what the message contained. Khamenei said in a written statement Wednesday that there should be “not even the slightest inclination toward submission” to the United States. He also called for an “ever stronger” Iran to reach a “point of absolute deterrence.” Seven conditions Rezaei’s meeting with Putin came as Qatar steps up diplomatic efforts to end the war with Iran amid fears that the United States could renew attacks after its midterm elections. In Tuesday’s vote, US President Donald Trump’s Republican Party lost control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate amid widespread anger over rising prices that many attribute to the war with Iran. Efforts to end the conflict have focused on the future status of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a US blockade of Iranian ports, sanctions against Iran and the resumption of negotiations over the country’s nuclear program. Rezaei said Thursday that Tehran will not hold talks with the United States on ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz until Washington meets its seven demands. “In terms of diplomacy, we have announced seven conditions to the Americans. As long as they do not meet our seven conditions, we will not open the Strait of Hormuz nor will we have negotiations,” he said. According to Rezaei, Putin reiterated that Russia is ready to provide support to end the war. Last month, Putin told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that Russia was ready to “do everything” it could to that end, Russian news agencies reported. Rezaei said discussion in the Kremlin also focused on building a gas pipeline from Russia to Iran, intended to address Iran’s gas shortage and allow Russia to sell its gas to Iran’s neighboring countries. He added that he had informed Putin about a meeting held in Tehran at the end of October between Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan, and that the Russians “Like our Chinese friends, we believe that there should be regional agreements and that foreign countries should not interfere in the security of the region,” he said. The Kremlin did not immediately publish its own account of the meeting, which took place in the Senate Palace, according to the Russian news agency TASS. On the other hand, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Abbas Araghchi, held telephone calls with his counterparts from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Turkiye and Jordan. His calls focused on regional developments and ongoing diplomatic efforts. to promote peace, Iranian state media reported. Russia and Iran, both under heavy Western sanctions, have strengthened their diplomatic and military ties in recent years. In January 2025, they signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty covering trade, military cooperation, science, culture and education. The treaty came into force in October, but unlike Russia’s pact with North Korea, it does not include a mutual defense clause. On Saturday, Iranian military spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said Iran had purchased the Russian Su-35 fighter. The planes were supposed to arrive before the fighting began, he told the Iranian news site Tabnak, and the necessary preparations and pilot training had been completed.
