Putin to Visit Iran Early Nov.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said preparations are underway for a trip by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Iran on Nov. 1. “During his stay, Putin will attend the second tripartite meeting with his Iranian and Azeri counterparts,” the Russian TASS news agency quoted Peskov as saying on Thursday. The first trilateral meeting among the three leaders was held in August 2016 in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku where Putin and his Iranian and Azeri counterparts, Hassan Rouhani and Ilham Aliyev respectively, discussed joint economic plans, including the North-South Transport Corridor project, among other issues. Putin’s last visit to Tehran was in Nov. 2015 when he participated in the third summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum. Putin and Rouhani have met nine times in Iran, Russia and on the sidelines of international gatherings since the latter came to power in 2013.