'Stability and political settlement': Putin holds surprise meeting with Iranian adviser Ali Larijan; discussion on Tehran's nuclear programme

Russian President Vladimir Putin held an unannounced meeting on Sunday with Ali Larijani , a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, to discuss Tehran’s nuclear programme and the escalating tensions in the Middle East.

The surprise talks took place in the Kremlin and were confirmed by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who stated that Larijani "conveyed assessments of the escalating situation in the Middle East and around the Iranian nuclear programme", AFP reported.

Peskov added that President Putin reaffirmed Russia’s “well-known positions on how to stabilise the situation in the region and on the political settlement of the Iranian nuclear programme.”

Russia maintains a cordial relationship with Iran’s leadership and has extended crucial support in various international forums, even as the region faces heightened instability.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that Tehran has agreed to resume talks with three European nations—Britain, France, and Germany.

A German diplomatic source also confirmed to AFP that fresh negotiations with Iran are planned “in the coming days,” signalling a renewed push by European powers to negotiate settlements on Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.