TEHRAN/DOHA, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei on Thursday submitted a message from the country's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
The message was handed over in a meeting between Rezaei and Putin in the Russian capital Moscow, in which the two sides discussed bilateral relations and the latest regional developments, the report said, without disclosing further details.
Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi discussed the ongoing diplomatic processes to de-escalate tensions in the region in separate phone calls with his Omani, Jordanian, Qatari, Saudi, Turkish and Kuwaiti counterparts, according to statements released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
The developments come amid heightened U.S. threats of military action against Iran, and as Iranian authorities have warned that any military action or threat against the country will receive an immediate response.
Citing Pentagon and military officials, The New York Times reported on Oct. 21 that the U.S. and Israeli armies have drawn up plans for renewed strikes on Iran, saying the United States is ready to resume major combat operations against the country when ordered by President Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Ali Abdollahi said Iran's forces "will meet any level or type of threat with an immediate and impactful response and without geographical limitations," according to Iranian media.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the region, and tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire was achieved between the warring parties on April 8. On June 18, Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on ending the war in the region on all fronts.
Under the MoU, the two countries were scheduled to hold negotiations within 60 days, ending on Aug. 17, to reach a final agreement on Iran's nuclear program and the removal of sanctions. However, they failed to make sufficient progress toward a deal as tensions continued to escalate. ■
