Zürcher Nachrichten - Iran president offers US olive branch, hails Russian support

Russia and Iran -- two of the most sanctioned countries in the world -- have massively deepened their military and trade ties during Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Putin and Pezeshkian held talks on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, bringing together more than a dozen leaders -- including Putin, China's Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

They met a day after US President Donald Trump -- who has warned Moscow and Beijing against arming Tehran -- threatened to hit Iran "hard" after the foes traded fire for the first time in weeks.

Pezeshkian told the summit that if the United States returns to the deal aimed at ending months of hostilities, Iran "will immediately take reciprocal action", according to the Iranian presidency's website.

The deal, meant to set the stage for final peace talks, has collapsed as both sides accused each other of violating its terms.

Pezeshkian also warned Tuesday that a return by the United States to "a policy of pressure and threats" risked derailing diplomatic efforts to end the war.

He later met Putin, telling him: "We appreciate and thank you for your positions at every stage".

He added: "This shows that our relationship is a strategic relationship; it is not an ordinary relationship."

- Putin admires Iran 'courage' -

Putin said that Russia was "trying to provide you with the assistance you need".

"We admire your courage and resilience in the fight for your national interests," the Russian leader said, according to Russian media.

"Despite the military and political situation, we are maintaining the momentum of our trade and economic relations from last year," he added.

Russia and Iran are both under massive international sanctions and have become increasingly reliant on each other.

The US on Monday vowed to keep up a pressure campaign aimed at crippling Tehran's economy.

The Middle East war began in late February with the US and Israeli attacks on Iran that killed former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Pezeshkian's remarks came after Iran and the United States resumed exchanging fire on Monday following more than a month of relative calm, with the Strait of Hormuz a key point of contention.

Tehran has maintained its closure of the strategic waterway, while saying it would return to its commitments under the June deal, which included reopening Hormuz, if the United States did the same.

- 'A multipolar world' -

Putin met Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Monday at the SCO summit, which is also playing host to leaders of countries including Turkey, India and Pakistan.

The summit takes place four-and-a-half years into Moscow's Ukraine invasion and six months into the war between Washington and Tehran.

Xi said Russia-Chinese ties had become "more solid" and that their "prospects will be even brighter", while Putin said cooperation was "successfully developing on all fronts".

Russia's economy has become increasingly dependent on China since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The SCO has historically focused on economic issues but has gained momentum in other fields in recent years under Moscow's and Beijing's leadership.

But he added that "it is clear that new multilateral regional structures ... are organically integrating into the architecture of a multipolar world alongside the United Nations".

On top of its 10 members, it now has 15 so-called "dialogue partners", including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and two observer countries: Afghanistan and Mongolia.

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Y.Keller--NZN