Iran president urges return to truce, hails Russian support

Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan — Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian pledged on Tuesday to match any U.S. move to return to the June deal aimed at ending their war, warning that diplomatic efforts could be jeopardized by pressure and threats from Washington. He also expressed gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin for Moscow's stance on the conflict, during a speech at an international summit in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital.

Russia and Iran, both heavily sanctioned nations, have substantially strengthened their military and trade connections amid Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Putin and Pezeshkian engaged in discussions off the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which was attended by numerous leaders, including China's Xi Jinping and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

They convened a day following a threat from U.S. President Donald Trump to harshly punish Iran after the two nations engaged in their first military exchange in weeks. Pezeshkian informed the summit that if the United States renews its commitment to the deal meant to put an end to the months of hostilities, Iran would reciprocate.