MOSCOW: Russia’s Secretary of the National Security Council and former defence minister Sergei Shoigu arrived in Tehran on Monday amid concerns of escalating regional conflict following the recent killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh by Israel in Iran.
Shoigu is scheduled to meet with high-ranking military and security officials, as well as President Masoud Pezeshkian, to discuss enhancing bilateral cooperation across various sectors, including security, according to Russia’s RIA Novosti news agency.
The visit, initiated by Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Ahmadian, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, aims to “strengthen interactions, address regional and international issues, and bolster political and security relations between the two nations,” as reported by Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
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Russia has “strongly condemned” the killing of Haniyeh, who was a key figure in the Islamist Palestinian movement Hamas, in Tehran last month. President Pezeshkian has emphasized Russia’s role as a “valued strategic ally.”
