Pezeshkian tells Putin Iran will stay at negotiating table despite US attacks

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday evening that Iran will not walk away from the negotiating table despite repeated US attacks. He made the remarks during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit and the Caspian Sea environmental summit in Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan, according to a Press TV report of the meeting.

Pezeshkian said that proposals have been exchanged between Iran and the United States and that Iran has made its own revisions. "Once finalized, we intend to sit down with the relevant intermediaries to consolidate and conclude the matter," he said. He praised Moscow's consistent opposition to unilateralism and thanked Russia for its positions at the regional level and in the United Nations, as well as its role in checking what he described as the unchecked assertion of unilateralism. "Our goal is to end the conflict and ensure the rights of the Iranian nation are respected within the framework of international law; however, if the US insists on pursuing a path of unilateralism, this will not be feasible," Pezeshkian stressed.

The Iranian president expressed satisfaction with expanding interactions between Tehran and Moscow and stressed the need to deepen bilateral ties in trade, economic, and people-to-people fields in line with the joint strategic agenda. "I am truly pleased with the interactions currently taking shape. As you noted, our relations are expanding in most areas; this trend is progressing positively regarding trade, economic, and people-to-people ties," he said. He underlined Iran's determination to advance agreed programs and voiced hope that existing coordination will accelerate. Pointing to Washington's approach, Pezeshkian stated that the world and the region must move toward multilateralism. "Just as you have opposed unilateralism, the world and the region we inhabit must move toward multilateralism; we must not accept the spread of unilateralism globally. The US seeks to impose its policies and views on all nations and to assert dominance; it currently dictates its domestic policies to other countries," he stated.

Putin said he was very pleased to meet Pezeshkian and observed that Russia and Iran share numerous strategic programs and policies that are growing day by day. He conveyed greetings and best wishes for the health and success of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, and emphasized the need to resolve regional issues through diplomacy. "The key issue in the region is resolving the current crisis -- one that the Islamic Republic of Iran played no role in instigating -- and numerous countries are now striving to end this war through diplomacy. Iran, too, has put forward its own new proposals to bring the conflict to a close," Putin said. He added that Russia's stance is entirely clear and that Moscow will exert every effort to help resolve the crisis through diplomatic channels.

The meeting took place as Pezeshkian participated for the first time as a special guest in the expanded CIS format while also attending the Caspian environmental summit. Both sides reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation and underscored the importance of speeding up joint projects in energy, agriculture, transportation, and trade in the interest of the two nations and regional stability. According to Mehr News, the talks highlighted ongoing diplomatic efforts amid regional tensions.