Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin met on the sidelines of the Commonwealth of Independent States meeting in Turkmenistan on Friday, as questions swirl about an emerging plague in Russia and the status of U.S.-Iran diplomacy.
During the bilateral dialogue, Mr. Pezeshkian told Mr. Putin that his country would continue working through mediators to finalize a peace agreement with the U.S. He added that Tehran is in the process of revising its proposal to send to Washington.
He clarified that he did not deliver a proposal to Mr. Putin during the conference that the Russian leader could then communicate to President Trump when they speak next.
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Mehdi Tabatabaei, a senior aide to Mr. Pezeshkian, said on social media that the meeting with Mr. Putin, and others like it at the CIS summit, are proof that the U.S.’s efforts to diplomatically and economically isolate Iran have failed,
“Inviting President Pezeshkian as the only special guest from a nonmember country and as the keynote speaker at the CIS summit in Turkmenistan is a very important event and a platform for building a new order in Eurasia based on justice and multilateralism,” Mr. Tabatabaei wrote.
It’s unclear whether the two leaders discussed the suspected pneumonic plague case that emerged in Russia last week, which has seriously concerned U.S. officials.
Last week, reports emerged that Daria Shapilova, a 28-year-old lab researcher at a Siberian anti-plague facility, died overnight in late September after experiencing severe pneumonia. Nearly 200 people were placed under medical observation after her death, with Russian officials reporting that those people showed no symptoms.
Mr. Trump said earlier this week that he expects to speak with Mr. Putin by phone to discuss the case. He also dismissed fears that Shapilova might have died after being exposed to a biological weapon.
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