Putin meets Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei at Kremlin, Hormuz on the agenda

The Kremlin meeting

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, at the Kremlin on Thursday, 5 November 2026. The Kremlin's office announced the meeting, and a photograph released by the Kremlin showed the Russian delegation, which included foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov and head of military intelligence Igor Kostyukov. The meeting came after Iranian negotiators met mediators to discuss proposals to end hostilities with the United States, state media reported. Iranian state media said Rezaei handed Putin a message from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, but gave no details of its content. Rezaei told reporters that the three-hour talks covered the future of bilateral relations and the need for regional security mechanisms. He said the visit had been scheduled about a month earlier but was postponed because of military developments in the region.

Tehran's conditions on Hormuz

Rezaei said he told Putin that Tehran will not open the Strait of Hormuz or return to the negotiating table if the United States does not accept the conditions Iran has set. According to his account on Iranian state television, Putin condemned the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, including strikes on nuclear facilities, and called the war unjust. Rezaei said Russia was ready to cooperate in every possible way to help end the war. The war began on 28 February 2026 with the US-Israeli attack on Iran. Peace efforts are focused on the future status of the Strait of Hormuz, the US blockade of Iranian ports, sanctions on the Islamic Republic and the resumption of talks on Iran's nuclear programme.

Gas pipeline, railway and regional security

The two sides also discussed building a natural gas pipeline from Russia to Iran. The project is meant to cover Iran's domestic energy needs and to allow Russian gas to be moved on to neighbouring countries. Rezaei said Iran's Supreme National Security Council had approved an executive agreement for building the Rasht-Astara railway. He also presented Putin with a report on the quadrilateral meeting of Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey held in Tehran. Rezaei said Putin assessed that gathering positively and that Russia, like its Chinese partners, believes a regional security system without interference from foreign states is necessary.

Background and timeline

Tehran and Moscow have long been close allies, although their relations have shifted in recent months as Putin seeks to keep ties with Washington amid the war in Ukraine. In early October, Putin assured Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that Russia was ready to contribute to mediation aimed at ending the war. Most of the detail on Putin's position comes from Rezaei and Iranian state media, while the Kremlin's announcements covered only the meeting and the delegation. The timeline below places the November meeting against the start of the war and the October contact.