Iran Security Chief Meets Putin, Says No Talks With US Until Demands Met

Iran's top security official met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, delivered a letter from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and said Tehran will not negotiate with Washington on ending the war until the United States meets seven conditions. The meeting was not announced in advance, according to Euronews.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, also said the two sides discussed a gas pipeline from Russia to Iran and a railway project. Iranian state media reported that the contents of Khamenei's message were not made public.

What Rezaei said was discussed with Putin

Al Jazeera, citing Iran's Press TV, reported that Rezaei handed over the letter and described talks on regional security and the period after the war. He said Khamenei wanted the message delivered quickly. According to Rezaei, the trip had been planned nearly a month earlier but was postponed because of daily discussions about the military situation.

Rezaei said Putin repeated that Russia is ready to help end the war and stressed the need for regional security arrangements without interference by outside powers. He added that he briefed Putin on a late-October meeting in Tehran among Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, which Putin welcomed. According to Al Jazeera, the Kremlin had not immediately released its own account of the talks.

Gas pipeline, railway and a loan

Rezaei said the pipeline plan is meant to ease Iran's gas shortages and allow Russia to sell gas to Iran's neighbors. Euronews noted that Iran, despite being a major gas producer, has long faced shortages, and that the problem has worsened since the war began in late February.

On rail, Rezaei said, as cited by Iran's IRNA news agency, that the Supreme National Security Council has approved the agreement to build the Rasht–Astara railway with Russian participation. He said Iran's roads minister will soon sign the contract. Euronews described the section, just over 160 kilometers long, as the last missing link in the western route of the International North-South Transport Corridor, which is meant to connect Russia with Iranian ports on the Persian Gulf.

Euronews also cited press reports, based on Iran's semi-official Fars agency, saying Russia had prepared a $1 billion loan for Iran that has not yet been transferred. Fars said it would be the first installment of a planned $20 billion loan. Some experts link the delay to the stalled railway project. On Oct. 1, Putin said Russia was ready to provide credit but that Iran must complete its part of the work.

Iran's conditions and the mediation picture

Rezaei said Iran has given the Americans seven conditions. He did not list them in the reports. "We will neither open the Strait of Hormuz nor have negotiations" until they are carried out, he said.

Al Jazeera reported that efforts to end the war have centered on the future of the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports, sanctions and a possible return to talks on Iran's nuclear program. Qatar is stepping up its diplomacy amid fears that the United States could renew attacks after its midterm elections. Euronews said Pakistan and Qatar have been the main mediators so far. Putin said in early October that Russia was prepared to mediate, but Moscow has not taken on that role.

Khamenei said in a written statement on Wednesday that there should be no inclination toward submission to the United States, and he called for an ever stronger Iran. Separately, Iranian state media reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held phone calls with counterparts in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Turkey and Jordan.

Why it matters beyond Moscow and Tehran

The Strait of Hormuz is a key waterway for global gas and oil trade, according to Euronews, and both sides imposed blockades on it during the war. Iran's statement that it will keep it closed until its conditions are met signals that no quick reopening is in sight. Al Jazeera reported that Republicans lost control of both chambers of Congress in Tuesday's vote amid anger over rising prices that many voters blame on the war.

For travelers, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued an advisory after the meeting telling Russians to avoid Iran and the Middle East while the risk of renewed war persists, Euronews reported. A similar advisory in February was lifted in June after Washington and Iran signed an interim deal, which has since collapsed.

The Russia-Iran relationship

Both countries are under heavy Western sanctions. They signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty in January 2025 that took effect that October. Unlike Russia's pact with North Korea, it has no mutual defense clause, Al Jazeera reported. An Iranian army spokesman said Iran has bought Russian Su-35 fighter jets and expects delivery after the war ends. Euronews said Russia has purportedly supplied Iran with intelligence and equipment during the war, and that Iran earlier provided drone technology that Russia has copied for use in Ukraine.

What happens next

Rezaei said the roads minister will soon sign the railway contract. The $1 billion loan transfer remains delayed, and Iran says talks with Washington are off the table until its seven conditions are met.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by Al Jazeera, Euronews