Putin did not discuss deliveries of drones in Iran: Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin did not discuss the deliveries of drones either with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi or with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said on Tuesday.

"The drones have not been discussed with either the President or the Supreme Leader," Yury said as quoted by Sputnik News Agency.

Media reports surfaced that the Iranian government is preparing to supply Russia with several hundred drones, including weapons-capable drones.

"They discussed conceptual issues with the Supreme Leader -- the situation in the world and bilateral relations. In general, broadly," the Kremlin aide said further.

The Russian President arrived in Iran yesterday and met Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi.

This is Putin's first trip outside the former Soviet Union since Moscow's military operations in Ukraine on February 24.

The conversation between the two counterparts took place in the office of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

According to Kremlin aide Yury Ushako, Moscow's meeting with Tehran is expected to exchange views on the main aspects of bilateral cooperation, as well as on international and regional security issues, including the current situation around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program (JCPOA).

TASS reported that the Kremlin representative called Tehran an important partner of Moscow, pointing out that the countries' relations are friendly, have a centuries-long history and are developing very effectively in a wide range of areas.

Ushakov had earlier noted that Russia and Iran have plans to bring bilateral cooperation to a new level, the level of strategic partnership, so a corresponding interstate treaty is currently being prepared.

According to Russian media, the issue of increasing Russian-Iranian cooperation in the economic sphere is especially relevant in light of the tightening of Western sanctions against Russia and the prospect of signing a permanent agreement between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union on a free trade zone in 2022, which should replace the interim treaty in place now.

( With inputs from ANI )

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