Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for Moscow's stance during the US-Israeli war on Iran in their first meeting since the conflict broke out.
"We appreciate and thank you for your positions at every stage, both during the period when the fighting and acts of aggression were taking place and under normal circumstances, when the United States was imposing sanctions on us, both at the United Nations and in international forums," Pezeshkian told Putin at a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday.
"This shows that our relationship is a strategic relationship; it is not an ordinary relationship," he added.
An earlier statement by the Iranian presidency had said that the two presidents "reviewed bilateral relations" and "discussed ways to strengthen and expand cooperation in various fields".
Pezeshkian and Putin last met during a summit in Turkmenistan in December 2025.
War erupted between Iran and the United States on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military officials.
Iran retaliated with attacks across the region as the conflict continued to spread.
A memorandum was reached in June following nearly three months of negotiations mediated by Pakistan and Qatar after 40 days of fighting between Iran and the US.
The agreement provided a framework for ending hostilities and resuming negotiations, alongside provisions concerning the Strait of Hormuz, but tensions later resurfaced over navigation in the strait.
The US subsequently launched a two-week bombing campaign in July and reimposed a naval blockade after disagreements between the two sides deepened.
The US recently shifted toward a campaign of what it calls "economic asphyxiation" of Iran.
During a meeting late April in Saint Petersburg, Putin told Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi that Moscow will do "everything" to help secure peace in the Middle East.
