Russian and Iranian presidents meet at regional summit in Turkmenistan

Russia’s Vladimir Putin met Iran’s newly elected president Masoud Pezeshkian in person at a time concerns mount over Tehran’s steady supply of weapons for Moscow’s war in Ukraine as well as over the escalating conflicts in the Middle East.

Putin and Pezeshkian discussed the attacks between Israel and Iran and its militant allies on the sidelines of an international forum in the Turkmen capital, Ashgabat, local media in Russia reported.

The conference is being attended by other regional leaders, including Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and the heads of the other Central Asian nations, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

During the two presidents’ meeting, Putin told Pezeshkian that Moscow and Tehran’s positions on international events are often very close, according to Russian state news agency Tass.

According to the Kremlin, Putin said he wants to create a “new world order” of Moscow’s allies to counter the West.

“We have many opportunities now, and we must help each other in our relationships,” said Pezeshkian.

“Our principles and our positions in the international arena are similar to yours,” the Iranian president added.

He described the Israeli military operations in Lebanon as “savage” and “beyond description.”

Rise in assassination and sabotage attempts

The Israeli military sent ground troops into southern Lebanon and is carrying out airstrikes in the country against Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters.

Moscow and Tehran signed a $1.7 billion deal for Iran to export drones to Russia after Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022, and the US also believes it has also transferred short-range ballistic missiles.

This week Russia and Iran were accused by Ken McCallum, the head of Britain’s domestic intelligence agency MI5, of carrying out a “staggering” rise in attempts at assassination, sabotage, and other crimes on UK soil.

McCallum said his agents and police have tackled 20 “potentially lethal” plots backed by Iran since 2022 and warned that it could expand its targets in the U.K. if conflicts in the Middle East deepen.