Putin meets Iranian foreign minister in show of support for Tehran 

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in the Kremlin on Monday, calling the US strikes an “absolutely unprovoked aggression” and reaffirming Russian support for Tehran.

“This is an absolutely unprovoked aggression against Iran; (it) has no basis or justification,” Putin said at Monday's meeting.

“We, for our part, are making efforts to provide assistance to the Iranian people,” Putin said, noting Russia's “long-standing, good, reliable relations with Iran.”

Araghchi thanked Russia for condemning the actions of Israel and the US against Iran.

“These aggressive actions by Israel and the US are completely illegitimate and violate international rules and international norms. We are defending our sovereignty and country, and our defence is legitimate,” he said.

Araghchi said that Russia has always been Iran's partner in the peaceful nuclear energy sector and played a positive role in negotiations on Tehran's nuclear programme.

“In the sphere of Iran's nuclear programme, Russia has always been a partner for us. It built the Bushehr nuclear power plant,” he said.