Putin Says He is Confident That Tehran-Moscow Relations Will Expand Under Iran's New Government

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, has stated that he is confident that relations between Moscow and Tehran will continue to expand during the presidency of Masoud Pezeshkian. On Thursday, Mr. Putin met with Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in St. Petersburg. According to the Russian news agency Interfax, Putin said during the meeting, 'The relations between our countries are successfully expanding.' He then referred to the recent presidential elections in Iran, which resulted in the victory of Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist candidate, stating, 'I would like to express my hope and have no doubt that the relations between Iran and the Russian Federation will continue to expand just as they did during Mr. [Ebrahim] Raisi's presidency, whose passing we all mourned.' Previously, Vladimir Putin had congratulated Masoud Pezeshkian on his victory in the Iranian presidential elections and called for strengthening bilateral relations between Tehran and Moscow. In his congratulatory message, Putin also emphasized the coordination between Tehran and Moscow to address 'current international issues.' Iran and Russia have grown closer in international relations since the onset of the Ukraine war, both countries facing heavy sanctions. Western countries have imposed sanctions on many institutions and officials of the Islamic Republic due to Tehran's military assistance to Moscow, particularly in drone exports, although Iran has consistently denied allegations of providing military aid to Russia for the war in Ukraine. Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf also explained his meeting with Vladimir Putin on social media, stating that Putin expressed confidence in the 'continuation of Iran's relations' similar to the Raisi presidency. The Speaker of the Parliament added, 'In my meeting with Mr. Putin, I emphasized the necessity of economic relations while pursuing the financial agreements between the two countries and the corridor project.' This marks the first appearance of a senior Iranian official at a public BRICS gathering, as Iran became a full member of this group last year.