Putin Holds Meetings In Tehran With Iranian, Turkish Leaders

rferl.org – Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose for a photo prior to their talks at the Saadabad Palace in Tehran on July 19.

Iran’s supreme leader voiced strong backing for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia’s war in Ukraine, accusing Western countries of opposing an “independent and strong” Russia.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that if Russia hadn’t sent troops into Ukraine, it would have faced an attack from NATO later, a statement that echoed the rhetoric that Putin used before sending Russian forces into Ukraine on February 24.

Khamenei, who met with Putin after he arrived in Tehran on July 19, also called for strengthening long-term cooperation with Russia, according to a statement on his official website.

“There are numerous memorandums of understanding and contracts between the two countries, including in the oil and gas sector, which must be followed up and implemented fully,” Khamenei added.