Putin appeals to Iran for restraint after Hamas leader's death

Vladimir Putin reportedly appealed to the highest spiritual-political leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for a restrained reaction to the alleged killing of the Hamas leader by Israel, Reuters reports, citing two high-ranking Iranian sources.

The information from Vladimir Putin was conveyed on Monday by Sergey Shoigu, according to sources cited by Reuters. The Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation met with senior Iranian officials in Tehran amid escalating conflict between Iran and its allies on one side and Israel and the US on the other.

During a Monday press conference in Tehran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani stated that Iran does not want escalation in the region, but must "punish" Israel to prevent further destabilization.

Kanaani emphasized that punishing Israel for the attack in which the political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed last week in Tehran is "necessary". Iran supports and funds the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, as well as other anti-Israel armed groups.

According to Reuters, Tehran also pressed Moscow on the issue of delivering Russian Su-35 fighter jets.

Sources cited by the agency indicated that Shoigu's visit was one of several means Moscow could use to convey to Iran the need for restraint while condemning the assassination of the Hamas leader. These actions were intended to help curb the escalation of the current situation in the Middle East.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Russia has maintained closer ties with Iran and - as Reuters notes - has announced that it is preparing to sign a cooperation agreement with Tehran.