Iran president urges return to truce, hails Russian support

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian pledged on Tuesday to respond in kind to any U.S. attempts to rejoin a June agreement aimed at ending their war. He cautioned that diplomatic progress could be jeopardized by pressure and threats from Washington. Pezeshkian also expressed gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin for Moscow's position on the conflict, during a speech at an international summit in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek.

Russia and Iran, both among the most sanctioned countries globally, have significantly strengthened their military and trade relationships during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. During the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which included over a dozen leaders such as China's Xi Jinping and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pezeshkian and Putin met.

This occurred just after U.S. President Donald Trump, who had previously warned Moscow and Beijing against supplying Iran, threatened to strike the country hard following the initial exchange of fire between the two nations in weeks. Pezeshkian stated at the summit that if the United States returns to the June deal intended to cease the ongoing hostilities, Iran would reciprocate.