Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and offered Moscow's assistance in ending the war during talks with Tehran's security chief in Moscow on Thursday, Iranian state media reported.
Putin met Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, at the Kremlin, where the Iranian official delivered a message from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, according to state broadcaster IRIB. The contents of the message were not disclosed.
Rezaei said Putin denounced the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities and described the war against Tehran as unjust, calling for an end to the conflict as soon as possible.
The Russian president also expressed Moscow's willingness to provide assistance within its capabilities to help bring the fighting to an end, Rezaei said.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the meeting but did not disclose details of the discussions.
The talks came amid intensified diplomatic contacts between Moscow and Tehran over the war and possible efforts to negotiate an end to the conflict.
Iranian official Ezzatollah Zarghami said Wednesday that Tehran had rejected a Russian proposal to mediate direct negotiations with Washington, according to the Fars news agency.
Zarghami said Putin had sent representatives to Tehran to discuss mediation following a request from the United States.
Putin and Rezaei also spoke by telephone on Nov. 2, discussing regional and international developments before agreeing to meet in person, according to Iranian media.
Beyond the war, Rezaei said the discussions addressed regional security arrangements, energy cooperation and major infrastructure projects.
He said Putin welcomed the outcome of a four-nation meeting held in Tehran and reiterated Russia's position that regional security arrangements should be established without outside interference, a view also shared by China.
The two officials discussed plans to build gas pipelines connecting Russia and Iran, which Rezaei said could help ease domestic gas shortages while allowing Tehran to export Russian gas to neighboring countries.
They also reviewed the North-South transport corridor, a major infrastructure initiative aimed at improving trade connectivity between Russia, Iran and other regional markets.
Rezaei said Iran's Supreme National Security Council had approved the project and that the country's roads minister was expected to sign an implementation agreement soon.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov and military intelligence chief Igor Kostyukov also attended the Kremlin meeting, according to Russian officials.
