The Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), Ali Larijani, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, marking his third visit to the Kremlin in as many months. Larijani reportedly carried a personal letter from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as he had during his previous trips, underscoring the growing importance of direct coordination between Tehran and Moscow.
According to Iranian and Russian media, the discussions centered on the situation in the Middle East and the expanding scope of cooperation under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement between the two countries, which recently entered into force. Both sides described the talks as constructive and reaffirmed their commitment to “strategic coordination” in political, economic, and military affairs.
Larijani’s latest visit followed a diplomatic exchange last week in which Putin relayed a message from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reportedly assuring Moscow that Israel was not seeking a wider confrontation with Iran. Iranian officials publicly dismissed Netanyahu’s remarks, declaring that the country’s armed forces remain on high alert following the 12-day war with Israel in June.
Since the summer, Russian military cargo flights have been observed landing in Tehran, believed to be delivering defense equipment and spare parts as part of expanding defense cooperation. One Iranian lawmaker recently claimed that MiG-29 fighter jets had already been transferred to Iran and would serve as an interim measure until delivery of Su-35 aircraft expected next year.
Iran’s regional and global standing has strengthened since the conflict with Israel, bolstered by its deepening ties with Russia and China. On Thursday, at the 19th Midterm Ministerial Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Kampala, Uganda, more than 120 member nations issued a joint statement rejecting the reimposition or “snapback” of UN sanctions on Iran and declaring they would neither recognize nor enforce them.