Russia, Iran eye joint oil and gas projects as Pezeshkian, Putin hold talks in Moscow

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Middle Eastern countries can resolve regional problems without involving the United States, as Tehran and Moscow seek closer political and economic ties amid the ongoing war.

The two leaders met on Tuesday on the sidelines of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit in Moscow. Their discussions covered the regional conflict, bilateral cooperation and joint projects in the oil and gas sectors.

"I believe we are capable of resolving our problems in the region without relying on the United States," Pezeshkian told Putin.

He said US actions in the region were encouraging countries to strengthen cooperation and move towards greater multilateralism.

"Our trade is expanding and growing day by day. US actions in the region make it easier for us to move towards greater multilateralism and strengthen our cooperation with you and other countries subject to unilateral US sanctions," he said.

Pezeshkian also expressed confidence that both countries were willing to expand cooperation in science, industry, culture, security and military affairs.

Putin said he had discussed the regional conflict with his Iranian counterpart and hoped the situation would improve.

"We spoke earlier, one-on-one, about the situation in the region -- a situation that, undoubtedly, cannot help but cause concern," Putin said, adding that he hoped it would "evolve in a positive direction".

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Iran, Russia discuss joint oil and gas projects

The two presidents also discussed expanding political, economic, trade and energy cooperation, including joint oil and gas projects, according to a readout from the Iranian government, cited by Iran International.

Pezeshkian called for greater cooperation in natural gas exports, saying Iran produces around 280 billion cubic metres of gas annually, making it the world's third-largest producer after the United States and Russia.

He said global developments required stronger technical and engineering cooperation, along with what he described as the “strategic governance” of international energy markets.

The discussions come as Iran seeks closer economic ties with Moscow while its energy exports face pressure from a US naval blockade.

Moscow seeks to mediate in Middle East war

Russia has been seeking to mediate efforts to end the Middle East war, which began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Iran last week for the first time since the conflict began. He said Moscow's efforts were "aimed at preventing the return of a large-scale war", as negotiations between Tehran and Washington remained stalled.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later said that Russia and Iran had "never" worked so closely.

Negotiations between the United States and Iran have been stalled for months, while Washington and Israel have threatened to resume strikes against Iran.