Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi on the phone on Thursday, following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to the Iranian Students' News Agency.
"I hope what is happening is for the benefit of the nations in the region," Raisi said.
Raisi stated that "NATO expansion to the east is tense," emphasizing that expansion is a serious threat to the stability and security of independent countries in different regions.
Referring to Iran's active cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Putin stressed the importance of continuing consultations between the two sides on nuclear talks.
Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett discussed the Iran nuclear talks with Putin, also on the phone, "stressing the importance of a strong and determined stance against Iran’s progress in the nuclear project," according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Russian statement noted that Putin spoke about “difficulties in reaching a settlement in the Middle East.”
Lahav Harkov contributed to this report.