Putin meets Iranian security council chief Rezaei in Moscow

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin met Iranian security council chief Mohsen Rezaei at the Kremlin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Interfax.

The meeting comes days after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Tehran for the first time since the outbreak of the Middle East war, as Moscow seeks to play a mediating role in the conflict.

Lavrov’s visit followed Putin’s statement to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in early October that Moscow was prepared to contribute to mediation efforts.

Russia and Iran, two of the world’s most heavily sanctioned countries, maintain close ties, with their military and economic cooperation increasing since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The Middle East war began in February with US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Despite a ceasefire in April and a US-Iran memorandum of understanding in June, hostilities in and around the Strait of Hormuz have continued.

Iran claims control over the strategic waterway, through which about one-fifth of the world’s hydrocarbons pass in normal times, and regularly targets vessels crossing without its authorisation.

In response, Washington has maintained a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports.