Iran's Security Council Secretary Flies Urgently To See Putin
- 31.01.2026, 9:31
After reports that the U.S. was preparing for strikes.
Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani traveled to Russia on January 30 to meet with President Vladimir Putin. The visit was not announced; it became known ex post facto from a Kremlin statement. Details of the meeting were not disclosed there. Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali said the main topics of the talks were "important regional and international issues" as well as "expansion of bilateral cooperation," The Moscow Times writes.
Larijani's meeting with Putin came amid reports of U.S. preparations for strikes on Iran. On Friday, U.S. naval forces (Navy) began taking up battle positions in anticipation of the operation. One of the destroyers, which arrived in the Middle East as part of an aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln, docked in the port of the Israeli city of Eilat. F-15E multi-role fighter jets at the US base in Jordan were also put on alert, The New York Times reported, citing satellite data.
The other day, US President Donald Trump was presented with an expanded list of military scenarios regarding Iran, including the landing of special forces on the country's territory. At the same time, Washington plans to strike not only the positions of the Islamic republic's leadership and security agencies responsible for suppressing the recent protests, but also nuclear facilities not affected by the U.S.-Israeli bombing in June 2025.
Satellite images show that Iran has already begun to fill tunnel entrances to the nuclear facility in Isfahan with earth. The last time similar actions were taken was during the 12-day war with Israel.
Reuters sources say Trump's goal is to set the stage for a change in Iran's political leadership. The Shiite clergy led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei holds power in the republic. Anti-government protests erupted in Iran in January and were brutally suppressed. More than 3,100 people were killed, according to official figures alone.
Trump himself recently said he had sent an armada larger than the one in Venezuela to Iran. It is ready to carry out its mission quickly, including "with the use of force" if necessary, he emphasized. The American president urged Tehran to conclude a nuclear deal, in particular to abandon uranium enrichment and limit the range of its ballistic missiles. Otherwise, the US will launch a military operation larger than the June 2025 "Midnight Hammer", Trump warned.