Russia responds to Iran over Ukraine conflict criticism

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Tehran never approved of "Russia's aggression against the territory of Ukraine." He added that "the borders of each country must be respected."

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org by Sonia Sevilla, CC BY-SA 3.0

Speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the Iranian president noted that he believes in the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine through dialogue. He also said that he was ready to discuss it with representatives of European countries and the United States.

"We are ready to sit down with the Europeans and Americans at the negotiating table," he said.

Pezeshkian also denied earlier reports and assumptions about Iran supplying weapons to Russia.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the statements that the Iranian president made during his speech at the UN General Assembly, noted that Pezeshkian expressed Iran's sovereign position. At the same time, Russia will continue to "explain our position and everything related to this conflict around Ukraine to our Iranian friends," Peskov added.

"We have very positive cooperation in a variety of areas. We expect that this interaction will continue to expand,” Peskov added.

In July, Masoud Pezeshkian said that the new government would actively support initiatives aimed at achieving peace in Ukraine. In turn, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow was ready to consider Iran as a mediator in negotiations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, "if it shows interest.” Moscow had not received any specific signals from Tehran then.

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Masoud Pezeshkian is an Iranian politician and former cardiac surgeon, who serves as the ninth and current president of Iran since 28 July 2024. He previously represented Tabriz, Osku and Azarshahr electoral district in the Parliament of Iran, from 2008 to 2024 and served as its First Deputy Speaker from 2016 to 2020. He was Minister of Health and Medical Education between 2001 and 2005 in the Government of Mohammad Khatami. He ran in the 2013 presidential election, but withdrew. He ran again in the 2021 election, but was unsuccessful.