Putin Holds Secret Talks with Iran’s Supreme Leader’s Envoy Amid Nuclear Tensions

According to Saed News, Ali Larijani, senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Sunday for high-level consultations focused on Iran’s nuclear program and escalating regional instability. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the meeting, noting that discussions addressed the “escalating situation” in West Asia and Tehran’s assessment of current nuclear challenges.

While neither government had listed the visit on official schedules, the encounter underscores the intensifying diplomatic coordination between Tehran and Moscow. According to Peskov, Larijani conveyed Iran’s perspective on the fallout from Israel’s 12-day U.S.-backed military campaign, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,060 Iranians, including civilians and high-ranking scientific and military figures. Putin reaffirmed Russia’s preference for political resolutions and reiterated Moscow’s opposition to the Israeli campaign, previously condemning the strikes as “categorically unacceptable” and in violation of the UN Charter.

Notably, during a June 20 press conference, Putin deflected questions about potential military support to Iran, instead highlighting the demographic complexity of Israel by stating that “almost two million Russian-speaking people live in Israel.”

The Larijani-Putin talks came shortly after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi delivered a personal message from Ayatollah Khamenei to the Kremlin, on the eve of a ceasefire announcement. The message followed U.S.-Israeli airstrikes targeting key Iranian nuclear sites including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

Iran and Russia have significantly deepened ties since signing a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2024, covering trade, energy, security, science, and cultural exchange—a pact ratified by both nations’ parliaments during President Masoud Pezeshkian’s state visit to Moscow.