TEHRAN – Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), spent the day in Moscow on Thursday. The main purpose of his visit was to convey a message from Islamic revolutionary leader Seyyed Ali Khamenei to President Vladimir Putin, although neither side provided details on the content of the message.
The only official details of the high-level talks came from Larijani himself, who said on his Telegram channel that the two countries discussed a wide range of issues, including bilateral relations, economic cooperation, regional development and international affairs. He also posted an old photo of an earlier meeting with President Putin on his X account.
This will be Larijani’s second direct conversation with President Putin since he became Iran’s top security official in June. Larijani is a veteran politician who has held several important roles within Iran’s political system, but he became more active in Iran’s political and international arena after the country was forced into a 12-day war with Israel and the United States in the same month he was appointed. The Trump administration helped Israel attack Iran’s nuclear, civilian, and military infrastructure, and entered the war directly at the end of the war.
The talks come at a time when Iran is preparing to defend itself against a possible second invasion by Israel and the United States. Iran did not seek military assistance from its allies, including Russia, during the 12-day war. However, the country may try to fix its military, including its defense systems, which did not perform as expected in June this year. A month ago, the commander of Iran’s air defense forces told the Tehran Times that Iran was rapidly improving its capabilities.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that Israel is concerned about Russia’s possible military aid to Iran. Netanyahu is said to have told Putin in a recent telephone conversation that Israel would increase military aid to Ukraine if Russia supported Iran. However, this report was not confirmed by President Putin, who later said at the Tajik summit that Netanyahu assured him that he was not seeking a confrontation with Iran. The Tehran Times understands that Iranian political and military officials are not taking Netanyahu’s message seriously and expect a second war could break out at any time.
The high probability of this second war is partly rooted in the West’s unwillingness to budge on other issues, leading to increased pressure on Iran. To tighten constraints on the country’s economy, the E3 (Germany, UK and France) last month reinstated anti-Iran UN sanctions that were lifted under the 2015 JCPOA agreement. The practical effect of these sanctions is believed to be no greater than the harsh embargo that Washington imposed on Iran in 2018 when it withdrew from the JCPOA, leaving Iran devastated. However, as a result of the imposition, the Iranian currency market remained depressed, and the value of the Iranian rial plummeted.
Although the extent of postwar military exchanges between Iran and Russia remains unclear, the Russian government has fully supported Iran regarding the JCPOA and the aftermath of the deal’s failure. In a statement released on Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that all remaining UN restrictions on Iran, originally established by UN Security Council Resolution 2231 as part of the 2015 nuclear deal, are scheduled to expire on October 18. The Security Council then stressed that discussion on Iran’s nuclear program should end. After this expiration, cooperation between Russia and Iran will proceed based on domestic and international law, under the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which was signed in January 2025 and officially entered into force earlier this month.