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Putin and Raisi Seek Harmonizing Bilateral Ties, Address Regional Issues

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at the Kremlin (Iranian Presidency)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at the Kremlin (Iranian Presidency)
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Putin and Raisi Seek Harmonizing Bilateral Ties, Address Regional Issues

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at the Kremlin (Iranian Presidency)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi at the Kremlin (Iranian Presidency)

There has been a significant alignment in the positions of Moscow and Tehran on the majority of regional issues, as Russian President Vladimir Putin engaged on Thursday in discussions with his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi.

While both parties affirmed satisfaction with the trajectory of bilateral relations and the expansion of cooperation in various domains, it became evident that issues pertaining to coordinating efforts to confront Western sanctions imposed on both countries, addressing hot-button regional issues—particularly the situation around Gaza—were at the forefront of the discussions.

The leaders, meeting at the Kremlin, underscored the importance of navigating these challenges collaboratively and fostering a strategic alignment in response to shared concerns.

As Putin opened the talks, he told his Iranian counterpart that he was ready for a stopover in Iran on Wednesday, thus extending his Middle East tour and holding a meeting ahead of time.

“Dear Mr. President, I am very glad to see you in Moscow. Yesterday, you know, I was there in the neighboring region. I was flying directly over the territory of your country to my colleagues and at a certain point I had an idea of landing in Tehran for a meeting right away. But I was told: ‘The president is almost on the way to Moscow,” Putin said with a laugh.

Commentators observed that Putin’s gesture was deliberate, seen as a confirmation of Russia’s commitment to deepening communication with all countries in the region.

“Our relations are developing very well. Please convey my best wishes to leader (Ali) Khamenei,” Putin told Raisi, referring to Iran's Supreme Leader.

“Thanks to his support, we have gained good momentum over the past year,” Putin added, noting that the volume of trade between Russia and Iran increased by 20%, yielding positive results.

The Russian leader also said that his country is engaged in extensive collaboration with Iran across various sectors, notably in the energy domain.

“We have large infrastructure projects, we have been discussing for a long time, and now we have come to the practical implementation of the construction of the North–South railway,” said Putin.

“We work naturally, traditionally, in the field of energy. In the field of education, we have a significant number of Iranian students studying here. In general, work is quite active in almost all areas,” he added.

Putin emphasized that the two countries are actively working to synchronize their efforts on issues of mutual concern, proposing a discussion on the situation in Palestine.

He also underscored the particular significance of signing the partnership agreement between Tehran and the Eurasian Economic Union, anticipating the event to take place by the end of 2023.

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World

US Senate Backs Trump on Iran War Despite Deadline Lapse

The Iran flag flutters from a tall flagpole over high-rise buildings in northern Tehran on May 12, 2026. (AFP)
The Iran flag flutters from a tall flagpole over high-rise buildings in northern Tehran on May 12, 2026. (AFP)
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US Senate Backs Trump on Iran War Despite Deadline Lapse

The Iran flag flutters from a tall flagpole over high-rise buildings in northern Tehran on May 12, 2026. (AFP)
The Iran flag flutters from a tall flagpole over high-rise buildings in northern Tehran on May 12, 2026. (AFP)

US senators on Wednesday rejected a resolution curbing President Donald Trump's power to wage war on Iran -- their first vote on the conflict since a 60-day deadline expired for the White House to seek formal authorization.

The measure, introduced by Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley, was the seventh failed attempt by Democrats to rein in Trump's war powers since the conflict began more than 10 weeks ago.

Democrats say that, under the War Powers Act, the administration had until May 1 to secure congressional approval for military action after Trump notified lawmakers in early March of strikes against Iran.

The administration disputes that interpretation, arguing that the clock was paused by a ceasefire announced more than a month ago.

World

Tests in Italy, Spain Come Back Negative in Global Hunt for Hantavirus

The cruise ship MV Hondius, affected by a hantavirus outbreak, leaves the port of Granadilla de Abona, in Tenerife, Spain, May 11, 2026. (Reuters)
The cruise ship MV Hondius, affected by a hantavirus outbreak, leaves the port of Granadilla de Abona, in Tenerife, Spain, May 11, 2026. (Reuters)
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Tests in Italy, Spain Come Back Negative in Global Hunt for Hantavirus

The cruise ship MV Hondius, affected by a hantavirus outbreak, leaves the port of Granadilla de Abona, in Tenerife, Spain, May 11, 2026. (Reuters)
The cruise ship MV Hondius, affected by a hantavirus outbreak, leaves the port of Granadilla de Abona, in Tenerife, Spain, May 11, 2026. (Reuters)

Seventeen people under observation in Italy and Spain for possible hantavirus infection have tested negative, the countries' health ministries said on Wednesday as governments around the globe track the virus to stop it from spreading.

The MV Hondius cruise ship, which had confirmed hantavirus cases on board, is expected to arrive at the Dutch port of Rotterdam on Monday, shipowner Oceanwide Expeditions said, adding that the remaining 25 crew members, along with two medical staff, will follow quarantine procedures set by Dutch authorities upon arrival.

The World Health Organization said on Tuesday more cases were expected from the cluster that broke out on the ‌ship during a polar ‌expedition that departed from Argentina, but it stressed this was nothing like COVID ‌and ⁠was not a ⁠pandemic.

Hantavirus is primarily spread by rodents but can be transmitted between people in rare cases. That requires close contact. Incubation can last about six weeks, and crew, passengers and people in contact with them have been quarantined in several European countries.

QUARANTINE

Three people - a Dutch couple and a German national - have died since the start of the outbreak.

Some European health ministers were to meet on Wednesday afternoon to share information and better coordinate their response to the virus, French Health Minister Stephanie Rist told parliament.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control has recommended ⁠quarantine for all asymptomatic passengers from the original cruise ship for six ‌weeks, until June 21/22 depending on when they left the boat.

The ‌WHO has increased its tally of confirmed cases in the outbreak to nine, with an additional two suspected ‌cases: one person who died before being tested, and one on Tristan da Cunha, a remote South ‌Atlantic island where there were no tests available.

So far, all are considered to have been contaminated on the cruise trip or before boarding.

TESTING

In Italy, tests were conducted on an Argentine tourist hospitalized with pneumonia, a man from the southern Italian region of Calabria who was in voluntary isolation, a British tourist located in Milan and a companion travelling ‌with him. Two of them had come into contact with a Dutch woman who later died from the virus.

All tests came back negative, the Italian ⁠health ministry said in a ⁠statement.

"The risk connected with the virus remains very low in Europe and therefore also in Italy," it added.

In Spain, new PCR tests on 13 Spaniards quarantined at a military hospital in Madrid had again yielded negative results, health ministry official Javier Padilla told broadcaster TVE.

The man who had earlier tested positive had suffered some difficulties while breathing overnight, but was now stable.

In France, health minister Rist said she expected on Wednesday the outcome of tests carried out on 22 people for having been in contact with someone with the virus.

The hunt for new cases could drag on for months, since the incubation time for each case was up to about six weeks, Arnaud Fontanet, head of Epidemiology of Emerging Diseases at France's Pasteur Institute, told Reuters on Tuesday.

Still, because it does not transmit easily, his guess was that there would be no more than a few dozen more cases in total.

World

Trump Says No Need for China’s Help on Iran as Shippers Seek Way Through Hormuz

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, May 8, 2026. (Reuters)
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, May 8, 2026. (Reuters)
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Trump Says No Need for China’s Help on Iran as Shippers Seek Way Through Hormuz

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, May 8, 2026. (Reuters)
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, May 8, 2026. (Reuters)

US President Donald Trump has said he does not expect to need China's help to end the war in Iran and ease Tehran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz, in remarks made before he arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for a summit with President Xi Jinping.

The war is expected to feature in talks between Trump and Xi over the next two days, but Trump downplayed Beijing's potential role in ending the conflict, which has choked off traffic through a key waterway that typically carries about one-fifth of the world's oil supply.

"I don't think we need any help with Iran. We'll win it one way or the other, peacefully or otherwise," he told reporters in Washington before departing for China.

Iran has appeared to firm up its control over the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, cutting deals with Iraq and Pakistan to ship oil and liquefied natural gas ‌from the region, ‌according to sources with knowledge of the matter.

Iranian officials have signaled they see that control as ‌a long-term ⁠strategic goal. An ⁠army spokesperson said supervision of the waterway could generate revenue amounting to twice Iran's oil income, while strengthening its foreign policy leverage.

"After this war ends, there will be no place for retreat," the spokesperson said, according to comments carried by ISNA news agency.

More than one month after a tenuous ceasefire took effect, US and Iranian demands to end the war remain far apart. Washington has called for Tehran to scrap its nuclear program and lift its hold on the strait, while Iran has demanded compensation for war damage, an end to the US blockade and a halt to fighting on all fronts, including in Lebanon, where Israel is battling Iran-backed Hezbollah. Trump has dismissed those positions as "garbage."

CHINESE SUPERTANKER CROSSES STRAIT

The Trump administration said on Tuesday that senior US and ⁠Chinese officials had agreed last month that no country should be able to charge tolls on ‌traffic through the region, in an effort to project consensus on the issue ahead of ‌the summit.

China, a major buyer of Iranian oil that maintains close ties with Tehran, did not dispute that account.

On Wednesday, a Chinese supertanker carrying ‌2 million barrels of Iraqi crude sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, ship-tracking data showed, marking the third known passage by a Chinese oil ‌tanker through the channel since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28.

Other countries are exploring shipping arrangements similar to Tehran's deals with Iraq and Pakistan, sources said, potentially entrenching Tehran's control of the waterway through which fertilizers, petrochemicals and other bulk commodities vital to global supply chains normally flow.

PRICE OF WAR

As the costs of the conflict mount, Trump said Americans' financial struggles were not a factor in his decision-making on the war. Data released on Tuesday showed ‌that US consumer inflation accelerated in April, with the annual rate posting its largest gain in three years as food, rent and airfares rose.

Asked to what extent the economic strain on Americans ⁠was motivating him to strike a ⁠deal, Trump replied: "Not even a little bit."

"I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation ...," Trump said before leaving for China. "I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon."

The remarks are likely to draw scrutiny as cost-of-living concerns remain a top issue for voters ahead of November's midterm elections.

WAR HITS OIL SUPPLIES

The conflict is weighing heavily on global energy markets. Global oil supply will fall by around 3.9 million barrels per day across 2026 and undershoot demand due to disruptions caused by the Iran war, the International Energy Agency said on Wednesday, with more than 1 billion barrels of Middle East supply already lost.

Brent crude futures were steady at around $108 per barrel, after a three-day rally driven by the Hormuz deadlock.

Surveys show the war is unpopular with US voters less than six months before nationwide elections. Two out of three Americans, including one in three Republicans and almost all Democrats, think Trump has not clearly explained why the country has gone to war, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

ISRAEL CONTINUES TO STRIKE LEBANON

Iran has demanded security guarantees for Lebanon as part of its proposal to end the wider war, but despite a US-mediated ceasefire announced last month, Israel has continued to strike Hezbollah.

On Wednesday, Israeli airstrikes on cars in Lebanon killed 12 people, including two children, according to Lebanon's health ministry.

Some of the strikes targeted vehicles well beyond the main theater of conflict in the south, on the coastal highway south of Beirut, security sources said.