Iranian, Russian leaders meet as tensions rise

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported. The meeting—which was the leaders’ first face-to-face discussion since Pezeshkian’s election—came after an Iranian missile attack on Israel earlier this month. Israel has promised to respond violently and precisely in a surprise attack that has not yet occurred. The United States condemned Iran’s attack and acknowledged Israel had the right to defend itself.

What did the two leaders discuss? The two leaders affirmed their countries’ commitments to cooperation, IRNA reported. Pezeshkian hinted at an impending strategic partnership agreement that would be finalized at an upcoming BRICS summit in Moscow later this month. BRICS is an economic coalition that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—hence the acronym. It also includes Iran.

What did Russia have to say about the meeting? Putin said that Iran and Russia often have a similar perspective on world events, the Kremlin-run media outlet TASS reported. Putin said the two countries were working very closely. The two leaders discussed recent events in the Middle East during their conversation, TASS reported.

Dig deeper: Read R. Albert Mohler Jr.’s column in WORLD Opinions listing Iran and Russia among four countries comprising what he calls a new “axis of evil.”