Middle East & North Africa
Putin tells Pezeshkian Russia is ready to “do everything we can” to help end the war on Iran
Vladimir Putin and Masoud Pezeshkian met in Turkmenistan on October 8, ahead of the Commonwealth of Independent States summit, as Russian news agencies quoted Putin pledging help to end the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin assured Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that Russia will do “everything” it can to help end the US-led war on Iran, Al Jazeera reports, citing Russian news agencies. The two leaders met on Thursday, October 8, in Turkmenistan, ahead of the summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
“You know our position. On our part, we are ready to do everything we can to help you resolve this situation,” Putin told Pezeshkian, according to the Interfax news agency. “We know that Iran is making real efforts to end the conflict, which broke out through no fault of its own,” he added, according to Russian media, also speaking of a “positive evolution” in relations between the two countries. In a phone call on Wednesday, October 7, Putin had said, according to Iran’s IRNA, that Moscow was ready to mediate.
The strategic partnership
Russia and Iran, both under heavy Western sanctions, signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership treaty” last year covering areas from trade to military cooperation. Ukraine and Western countries accuse Iran of supplying Russia with Shahed drones and short-range ballistic missiles, while Russia is accused of giving Iran data for its attacks on US targets in the Middle East.
The meeting took place on the same day that Donald Trump said the United States would not attack Iran before the November 3 midterm elections, describing the talks as “productive”.
The US-Iran impasse
Putin and Pezeshkian also met in September, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan. The new meeting came as Iran-US talks stand at an apparent impasse and Moscow is trying to present itself as a mediator, while negotiations on Ukraine are also stalled.
US media reported on October 8 that the Pentagon has drawn up plans for an intensive three-day military campaign against Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during his visit to Athens, said Iran is under pressure because it cannot export its oil and that within a few weeks it would face what he described as the most catastrophic economic crisis in its modern history.
Turkmenistan, where the meeting took place, borders Iran and lies on the eastern branch of the North-South transport corridor, which links Russia with Iranian ports and the Indian Ocean. The corridor has gained importance for Moscow because of Western sanctions.