Putin to Iranian foreign minister: people of Iran can count on Russia for support

Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Moscow on Monday, at a time when Israeli airstrikes against Tehran were ongoing.

During the meeting, Putin denounced the United States over its military actions targeting Iran and assured the Iranian officials that the people of Iran can count on Russia for support.

Footage released by the Kremlin depicted Putin receiving the Iranian delegation in a decorated room, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and senior advisor Yury Ushakov, who previously served as ambassador to the US, present at the meeting.

“This act of aggression against Iran has no grounds and no justification. We have long-standing, friendly and reliable relations with Iran, and we, for our part, are making efforts to support the Iranian people,” Putin said.

He said he believed that the United States was provoked by Israel to launch the attack.

During the conversation, Putin informed Araghchi that he had spoken by phone with US President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, UAE President Mohammed Al Nahyan, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

However, he did not mention when those calls occurred. The Kremlin, for its part, stated a day earlier that no communication was planned with Trump following the American strikes on Iran.

Expressing gratitude, Araghchi told Putin that Russia was “on the right side of history.” He also praised the strengthening ties between their nations, saying the relationship “grew even closer in recent years.”

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Iran has emerged as one of Moscow’s most consistent supporters, providing weaponry such as short-range ballistic missiles and thousands of Shahed drones.

According to US officials, Tehran has also helped construct a drone production facility inside Russia.

In return, Russia has backed Iran during its standoff with Israel and following the US military intervention.

“In relation to the nuclear program, Russia has been a partner, and they helped us. Also, Russia has been present during the nuclear talks and they played a significant role,” Araghchi said.