Iran delivers secret Khamenei message to Putin as Moscow pushes gas pipeline deal

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, where he delivered a personal message from Iran’s Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei regarding the Iran war and discussed what both sides called “strengthening ties”.Iran’s top security official described the meeting as an "extremely important exchange of views," which covered "the post-war situation and regional security.”Russia has been a long-standing supporter of Iran, purportedly supplying Tehran with intelligence and equipment during the war.

Tehran has previously backed Russia in its all-out invasion of Ukraine, and provided its Shahed drone technology.Moscow has since cloned it into its domestically-made Geran UAVs, which it commonly uses in its daily strikes on infrastructure and civilian targets in Ukraine.The meeting, which was not announced in advance, follows the Russian president's meeting with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian in Moscow during a summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum last week.

The content of Khamenei’s message to Putin was not made public, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported."

The construction of gas pipelines from Russia to Iran was discussed" during the meeting with Putin, Rezaei stated.He explained that the project aims to help Tehran "address its gas shortages, while also facilitating the sale of Russian gas to neighbouring countries."Although Iran is a major producer of natural gas, it has long suffered from shortages of the fuel, a crisis that has only intensified since the onset of the Iran war in late February.According to Tehran, during the most intense phase of the war — which lasted nearly 40 days — the US and Israel launched strikes against critical Iranian infrastructure, including gas processing plants.Iran responded by attacking what it said were US military facilities and other interests in the broader Middle East region.

Regional governments, witnesses on the ground and Euronews journalists reported the strikes also hit civilian and infrastructure targets.Both sides also imposed concurrent blockades of the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for the world's gas and oil trade.In early October, Putin stated that Russia is prepared to act as a mediator to help end the war. Moscow has not acted as an intermediary in the talks. Pakistan and Qatar have so far served as the main mediators.Rezaei noted that Putin emphasised the need for regional security mechanisms and asserted that "any interference by external powers" in resolving the situation in the Middle East is unacceptable.Russia has delayed, deflected to Kyiv or otherwise rejected all attempts to broker an end to its ongoing war in Ukraine, now well into its fifth year.Infrastructure and LoansAccording to Rezaei, the meeting also addressed progress on key bilateral infrastructure projects.

"The Supreme National Security Council has approved the executive agreement for the construction of the Rasht–Astara railway, with Russian participation," he said, as cited by the Iranian news agency IRNA."The Minister of Roads and Urban Development will soon sign this contract on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Rezaei added.Spanning just over 160 kilometres, this section represents the final missing link in the western route of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), which is intended to provide a direct connection between Russia and Iranian ports on the Persian Gulf.Press reports citing the semi-official Iranian news agency Fars indicated that Russia had finalised preparations to provide Iran with a $1 billion loan, though the transfer of funds has been delayed.

According to Fars, this $1 billion is intended to be the first instalment of a planned $20 billion Russian loan to Iran.Some experts have linked the delay in disbursing these funds specifically to the stalled progress of the Rasht–Astara railway project."We are prepared to provide the necessary credit resources," Putin stated during a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club on 1 October."The question is for our Iranian friends to complete their part of the work at this stage."After the meeting, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a warning travel advisory telling Russians to avoid visiting Iran and the Middle East while the risk of renewed war persists.

The Russian Foreign Ministry had previously advised Russian citizens against travelling to Persian Gulf countries for tourism — specifically in February, right before the US and Israel launched their attacks on Iran in the opening salvo of the war.

That advisory was lifted in June after Washington and Iran signed an interim deal, which has since collapsed.