Iran President Hails Putin for Russia’s Support During War with US
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for Moscow’s support for Tehran during its conflict with the United States, describing the relationship between the two countries as strategic.
Pezeshkian made the remarks on Tuesday during his first meeting with Putin since the outbreak of the conflict. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
“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.
He added, “This shows that our relationship is a strategic relationship; it is not an ordinary relationship.”
According to an earlier statement by the Iranian presidency, the two leaders reviewed bilateral relations and discussed ways of strengthening and expanding cooperation across various sectors.
The meeting comes as Tehran and Washington remain locked in a tense standoff following months of hostilities and an uneasy ceasefire.
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Pezeshkian had earlier said Iran would take reciprocal action if the United States returned to its commitments under a memorandum of understanding aimed at ending the conflict.
“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,” he said, according to the Iranian presidency’s website.
Pezeshkian and Putin last met during a summit in Turkmenistan in December 2025.
The conflict erupted on February 28 following US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with senior military officials.
Iran subsequently launched retaliatory attacks across the region, escalating the conflict and heightening tensions around key strategic waterways.
Tehran later blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global energy supplies, while Washington imposed a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports.
An April 8 ceasefire brought an end to the most intense phase of the fighting, but sporadic attacks, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, have continued to undermine prospects for a lasting peace agreement.
The United States has also intensified economic pressure on Iran as part of what Washington describes as a campaign of “economic asphyxiation.”
Russia, meanwhile, has significantly strengthened its military and economic relations with Iran in recent years.
During a meeting in Saint Petersburg in late April, Putin told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that Moscow would do “everything” within its capacity to help secure peace in the Middle East.
Agency Report
