00:56Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu held talks with Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian on the worsening situation in the Middle East in Tehran on Monday.
Footage shows the pair shaking hands and posing for pictures, before they started negotiations.
The press service of the Russian Security Council office reported that Shoigu during his visit in Iran planned to hold a series of bilateral meetings with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian and the armed forces General Staff Chief Mohammad Bagheri.
Tensions have escalated sharply in the Middle East after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr were killed in Beirut and Tehran, respectively, on July 31. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei promised Israel would receive a 'harsh punishment' over the death of Haniyeh. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah vowed a response was 'inevitable' for the killing of Shukr.
On Thursday, August 1, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari denied Israel had launched an airstrike on Tehran against Haniyeh, while Tel Aviv claimed responsibility for the attack that killed Shukr in Beirut. The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) claimed Shukr was behind an attack on the Golan Heights on July 27 which killed 12 children. Hezbollah blames a projectile from Israel's own Iron Dome defence system which it said had been attempting to take down rocket fire directed at Israeli military installations.
The killing of Ismail Haniyeh was mourned and condemned by several countries and movements, including Russia, Syria, Qatar, the Taliban and Hezbollah. The Hamas political leader was a key figure in ongoing talks regarding a ceasefire in Gaza.
Haniyeh first joined Hamas when it was founded in 1987 and became Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority in 2006-2014.
Fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza broke out after the Palestinian group launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,139 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200 civilians, according to Israeli officials.
In Gaza, the Israeli army launched a large-scale campaign of airstrikes and ground incursion, killing at least 39,000 Palestinians and injuring more than 91,000 since October 7.
Russian and Iranian Security Council heads discuss escalation of tensions in Middle East
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu held talks with Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian on the worsening situation in the Middle East in Tehran on Monday.
Footage shows the pair shaking hands and posing for pictures, before they started negotiations.
The press service of the Russian Security Council office reported that Shoigu during his visit in Iran planned to hold a series of bilateral meetings with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian and the armed forces General Staff Chief Mohammad Bagheri.
Tensions have escalated sharply in the Middle East after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr were killed in Beirut and Tehran, respectively, on July 31. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei promised Israel would receive a 'harsh punishment' over the death of Haniyeh. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah vowed a response was 'inevitable' for the killing of Shukr.
On Thursday, August 1, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari denied Israel had launched an airstrike on Tehran against Haniyeh, while Tel Aviv claimed responsibility for the attack that killed Shukr in Beirut. The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) claimed Shukr was behind an attack on the Golan Heights on July 27 which killed 12 children. Hezbollah blames a projectile from Israel's own Iron Dome defence system which it said had been attempting to take down rocket fire directed at Israeli military installations.
The killing of Ismail Haniyeh was mourned and condemned by several countries and movements, including Russia, Syria, Qatar, the Taliban and Hezbollah. The Hamas political leader was a key figure in ongoing talks regarding a ceasefire in Gaza.
Haniyeh first joined Hamas when it was founded in 1987 and became Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority in 2006-2014.
Fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza broke out after the Palestinian group launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,139 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200 civilians, according to Israeli officials.
In Gaza, the Israeli army launched a large-scale campaign of airstrikes and ground incursion, killing at least 39,000 Palestinians and injuring more than 91,000 since October 7.
Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu held talks with Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Akbar Ahmadian on the worsening situation in the Middle East in Tehran on Monday.
Footage shows the pair shaking hands and posing for pictures, before they started negotiations.
The press service of the Russian Security Council office reported that Shoigu during his visit in Iran planned to hold a series of bilateral meetings with Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian and the armed forces General Staff Chief Mohammad Bagheri.
Tensions have escalated sharply in the Middle East after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr were killed in Beirut and Tehran, respectively, on July 31. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei promised Israel would receive a 'harsh punishment' over the death of Haniyeh. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah vowed a response was 'inevitable' for the killing of Shukr.
On Thursday, August 1, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari denied Israel had launched an airstrike on Tehran against Haniyeh, while Tel Aviv claimed responsibility for the attack that killed Shukr in Beirut. The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) claimed Shukr was behind an attack on the Golan Heights on July 27 which killed 12 children. Hezbollah blames a projectile from Israel's own Iron Dome defence system which it said had been attempting to take down rocket fire directed at Israeli military installations.
The killing of Ismail Haniyeh was mourned and condemned by several countries and movements, including Russia, Syria, Qatar, the Taliban and Hezbollah. The Hamas political leader was a key figure in ongoing talks regarding a ceasefire in Gaza.
Haniyeh first joined Hamas when it was founded in 1987 and became Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority in 2006-2014.
Fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza broke out after the Palestinian group launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,139 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping over 200 civilians, according to Israeli officials.
In Gaza, the Israeli army launched a large-scale campaign of airstrikes and ground incursion, killing at least 39,000 Palestinians and injuring more than 91,000 since October 7.