Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted Mohsen Rezaei, Iran’s top security official, at the Kremlin on Thursday, 5 November. The headline sounded routine: Putin meets Iranian security chief. The timing made it anything but.
Joint US-Israeli strikes on 28 February started a war with Iran. Major fighting has stopped, but no deal has formally ended the war. Iran still threatens shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Washington still blockades Iranian ports.
Rezaei flew to Moscow carrying a message from Iran’s Supreme Leader. He also discussed gas, regional security and the wider standoff. Here is what happened, and why it matters.
What happened at the Kremlin?
Putin received Rezaei during an unannounced visit to Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the talks. Two senior Russian figures joined Putin at the table. One was foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov. The other was Igor Kostyukov, who heads the GRU military intelligence agency.
The Kremlin said little in public. Its statement mentioned regional developments and continuing strategic cooperation. Rezaei handed over a message from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. Neither side disclosed its contents.
The two men had already spoken by phone on 2 November. On the day of the meeting, Russia’s Foreign Ministry urged citizens to avoid all travel to Iran. It cited the risk of a new escalation.
Who is Mohsen Rezaei?
Rezaei, 71, is a prominent hardliner and veteran soldier. He commanded the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for 16 years. His tenure covered most of the 1980–88 Iran-Iraq war. He later spent more than two decades as secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council. He also served as vice-president for economic affairs under Ebrahim Raisi.
Rezaei took charge of the Supreme National Security Council in August. The council coordinates Iran’s security and foreign policy, and President Masoud Pezeshkian chairs it. Rezaei replaced Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, who resigned. Zolghadr had held the post only since March. US-Israeli strikes had killed his predecessor, Ali Larijani, that month.
Rezaei also enjoys close ties to the new Supreme Leader. Mojtaba Khamenei named him his representative on the council. Mojtaba succeeded his father, Ali Khamenei, whom strikes killed on the war’s first day.
Why did the meeting happen now?
Efforts to end the war have gathered pace. About a week earlier, US Vice-President JD Vance reportedly wrote to Rezaei. The letter tested whether talks could resume and prevent another round of fighting.
Rezaei has held a hard line. On 3 November, he called the US response to Iran’s demands “not convincing”. Tehran wants Washington to lift its naval blockade, halt fighting on all fronts and ease sanctions. Qatari, Pakistani and Saudi mediators carry messages between the two sides.
Moscow wants a role too. The Kremlin has offered to mediate if both Iran and the United States ask.
Meanwhile, the Gulf remains dangerous. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed that several more tankers hit mines near Hormuz this week. No maritime officials have confirmed those claims. The strait normally carries about a fifth of global oil consumption. Brent crude fell below $100 a barrel on 4 November, for the first time since September.
What did Putin and Rezaei discuss?
Regional security dominated the talks. Putin backed regional security mechanisms that exclude outside powers, Rezaei said. He added that China shares this position. Rezaei also briefed Putin on a recent four-country meeting in Tehran. Putin reportedly offered help in ending the war.
Energy came up too. Rezaei said the pair discussed building gas pipelines from Russia to Iran. Iran suffers from gas shortages. Rezaei argued that pipelines would ease them and let Russia sell gas to Iran’s neighbours.
Neither side announced any new military commitments.
How close are Russia and Iran?
The two countries are close partners, but not formal allies. Ties deepened after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Iran has supplied Russia with Shahed drones for that war.
In January 2025, Putin and Pezeshkian signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty. The pact stops short of a mutual defence agreement, unlike Russia’s treaty with North Korea. So Russia carries no treaty duty to defend Iran militarily.
High-level contacts have intensified lately. Pezeshkian met Putin in Moscow on 27 October at a summit of gas-exporting countries. Rezaei’s visit followed less than a fortnight later.
What happens next?
Several threads remain open. Trump says he has no immediate plans for new strikes. Yet he insists the US stays “locked and loaded”. Iran’s Supreme Leader, meanwhile, called hopes of a post-midterm shift in US policy “seriously mistaken”.
Oman continues to work with Iran on a joint mechanism to control Hormuz traffic. Russia, for its part, has signalled interest in a bigger diplomatic role.
Three things deserve close attention in the coming weeks. Watch for progress on the pipeline idea. Watch for any formal Russian mediation. Above all, watch the next move from Washington.
