Putin asked Iranian president to deliver “words of brotherly support” to Iran’s supreme leader

At the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and expressed solidarity with Tehran in its war with the United States. Putin said Moscow was supplying needed goods during what he described as trying times and asked Pezeshkian to send his greetings and a supportive personal message to Iran’s supreme leader. The talks were their first since U.S.-Israeli strikes killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in late February, triggering Iranian retaliation, Tehran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and a U.S. naval counter-blockade. An April 8 ceasefire has held unevenly, with sporadic attacks persisting. Pezeshkian thanked Putin for Russia’s backing through the war and years of Western sanctions, reflecting the countries’ deepening strategic partnership since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.