Russian President, Vladimir Putin, met Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, in Moscow on Friday amid increasing tensions in the Middle East and a massive US naval armada surrounding the Gulf.
Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, was appointed adviser to Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in late August of 2025. He made his second visit to Moscow since the United States carried out airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities last summer. But, this was his first foreign trip since the US imposed sanctions on him and several other Iranian diplomats for their alleged role in the violent repression of anti-government protests that swept Iran since late December.
The Kremlin issued a brief statement on Friday on the meeting between the two leaders, saying, “The head of state received in the Kremlin the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ali Larijani, who is visiting Russia.”
Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, also acknowledged the meeting and said it focused on “improving bilateral ties” while addressing important regional and international issues.
Earlier this month, Putin held a telephone conversation with Iranian President, Masoud Pezeshkian, to discuss the unrest and reaffirm the strength of bilateral relations.
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Tensions between Iran and the US escalated after massive protests held in the country this past month, which Tehran described as a foreign-sponsored conspiracy aimed at toppling the government, in reference to the US and Israel.
US President Donald Trump has been threatening Iran with strikes since, and is said to be considering military options ranging from strikes on Iranian security installations, nuclear sites, and missile infrastructure. While Trump had previously warned of interference on account of Iran’s violent crackdown on dissenters, he has now accused the country’s regime of re-starting its nuclear programme.
Following his warning of a “far worse” attack than previous US strikes, Tehran vowed to “defend itself and respond like never before”.
Now that both sides are conducting military drills in the region, warnings against provocation and miscalculation have intensified.
On Friday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) issued a statement urging Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy to conduct its two-day drill beginning Sunday “in a manner that is safe, professional and avoids unnecessary risk”.
“We will not tolerate unsafe IRGC actions, including overflight of US military vessels engaged in flight operations, low-altitude or armed overflight of US military assets when intentions are unclear, high-speed boat approaches on a collision course with US military vessels, or weapons trained at US forces,” CENTCOM added.
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