Putin and Pezeshkian meet in Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, on Tuesday on the sidelines of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) summit in Moscow, according to the Kremlin's website.

Putin said the two sides exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East and expressed hope for positive developments.

He also noted that trade between Russia and Iran rose by 10.4 percent in the first eight months of the year, while construction of Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant continued.

Pezeshkian thanked Russia for its support and assistance on political and economic issues. He emphasized that countries in the region could resolve their challenges independently, without outside assistance.

This was the third meeting between the Russian and Iranian leaders so far this year.

According to CCTV+, the meeting on the sidelines of the GECF summit focused on regional developments, bilateral trade and cooperation in nuclear energy.