Iran’s security chief conveys supreme leader’s message to Putin

Iran’s Secretary of Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Larijani and a senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei submitted his message to Russian President Vladimir Putin in Kremlin amid a flurry of momentous bilateral, regional and international developments.

“They discussed bilateral issues and economic, regional and international cooperation,” reported Nour News media affiliated to the SNSC but did not provide details on content of the message.

The meeting on Thursday afternoon was the second in four months between the senior advisor to Iran’s leader and Russian president in Kremlin. Larijani visited Moscow in August days before his re-assignment at the top security position.

His recent visit comes against the backdrop of significant developments in Iran’s bilateral relations with Russia as well as regional and global events including the upcoming summit between President Putin and US President Donald Trump in Budapest, Hungary.

Earlier this week, Russian president hosted Syria’s Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Kremlin to discuss new bilateral ties. Moscow and Tehran supported ousted President Bashar Assad during the civil war in Syria before Damascus fell into the hands of al-Sharaa forces last year.

Iran’s security chief and Russian president also met less than a week after the Sharm el-Sheikh summit on establishing ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. Iran declined to take part saying it would not sit at the same table with the U.S. because Washington joined Israel in attacking Iran last June.

And the Moscow meeting followed news that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a telephone conversation asked President Putin to relay the message that Tel Aviv did not want escalation of tension with Tehran.

“We received messages asking us to convey to our Iranian friends that Israel is committed to resolving issues and has no interest in confrontation,” he was quoted saying at a regional summit in Dushanbe, Tajkistan.

However, unconfirmed reports suggested that Netanyahu had also urged Putin not to arm Iran with sophisticated S-400 long-range anti-air defense systems and advanced Su-35 jetfighters.

After the Iran-Russia Comprehensive Strategic Pact came into force in October, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow will continue providing advanced arms to Iran in compliance with international laws.

Speaking at a meeting with Arab journalists on Monday, Lavrov said that Moscow provides Tehran with the defense equipment it requires “in full conformity with international law,” RIA Novosti reported.

Last but not least, Larijani’s visit took place on the eve of expiry of UN Resolution 2231 regarding exemption of Iran’s nuclear sanctions on October 18 after ten years.

Russia chairs the Security Council in October and had tabled a draft resolution with China in September to extend the resolution for six months so that Iran and European powers reach a deal in the meantime.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that from Iran’s perspective which is shared by a number of permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council, the Resolution 2231 expires on October 18 and its reinstalment is solely a means of political blackmail

On Wednesday, he appealed to the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) member states to avoid re-installment of the nuclear sanctions.

“We call on members of the Non-Aligned Movement to adhere to the fundamental principles of this movement and refrain from participating in such null and void and illegal actions that are carried out solely for the purpose of gaining political advantage and violating international law and regulations,” he said at the NAM ministerial meeting in Kampala, Uganda.

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