Iran And US Exchanged New Proposals For Negotiations, Pezeshkian Tells Putin

ISTANBUL, Oct 9 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian highlighted that Iran and the US exchanged new proposals aimed at ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz as he met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Turkmenistan on Thursday to discuss expanding bilateral economic and strategic cooperation, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Commonwealth of Independent States leaders’ summit and a Caspian Sea environmental summit, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported.

The two leaders reviewed progress in bilateral relations and discussed strengthening cooperation in key sectors including energy, agriculture, transportation and trade.

They also emphasised the need to accelerate the finalisation and completion of joint projects and reaffirmed their commitment to expanding comprehensive cooperation in line with both countries’ national interests and regional stability.

Pezeshkian said Iran would not withdraw from negotiations with the US despite the war, according to the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA).

“We are in talks, but every time we talk with the US, they attack again. However, we will not walk away from the negotiating table and dialogue,” he said.

Pezeshkian said Tehran submitted proposals and Washington had also presented new ones.

“We have made our revisions to these proposals. Once they are finalised, we are supposed to sit down through the existing intermediaries and bring them together,” he added.

Pezeshkian thanked Russia for its positions on regional issues and at the UN, saying Moscow had helped counter unilateralism.

He also expressed hope that growing coordination between Tehran and Moscow would move forward “with speed and strength,” saying the circumstances provided an opportunity to deepen cooperation.

Tehran seeks an end to the war while ensuring that the Iranian people’s rights are respected under international law, he said.

The two leaders last met in person on Sept 1 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where they discussed bilateral relations and the US-Iran conflict.

During the meeting, Putin described the US-Iran ceasefire as “unstable and too fragile” and pledged continued support for Tehran.

More recently, Pezeshkian and Putin spoke by phone Wednesday to discuss Iran-US negotiations, with the Russian president expressing Moscow’s readiness to support diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict.

Putin arrived in Turkmenistan on Thursday for a two-day visit to attend the CIS leaders’ summit and the Caspian Sea environmental summit in the Avaza National Tourist Zone on the Caspian coast.

The CIS summit is expected to review cooperation among member states as well as regional and international developments.

The Caspian summit brings together the leaders of the five littoral states – Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan – with environmental cooperation in the Caspian Sea region on the agenda.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU