Putin meets Khamenei's senior aide in Kremlin, discusses Iran's nuclear programme
Moscow, Jul 20 (PTI): Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday received Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatullah Ali Khamenei’s senior aide here and discussed the aggravation of the situation in West Asia and issues of Iran’s nuclear programme.
The visit by Ali Larijani, senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, comes almost a month after Putin met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
“On behalf of the Iranian leadership, Ali Larijani shared the assessments of the current escalation in the Middle East and the situation around the Iranian nuclear programme,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters without elaborating.
On June 23, President Putin during his meeting with Araghchi had assured Tehran of Moscow's support in de-escalating the Israel-Iran conflict hours after the US strikes at Iranian nuclear sites at dawn on June 22.
Moscow and Tehran have signed a strategic partnership treaty, but it does not provide for military assistance in case any side is attacked.
However, Tehran and Moscow under the treaty have an obligation not to take the side of the aggressor and enter into urgent political consultations to mitigate the situation.
Russia supports Tehran’s right to pursue its civil nuclear research under the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) oversight.
Earlier reports said Larijani had played a key role as the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament in the negotiation and eventual approval of the now defunct Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal.
He was instrumental in navigating domestic political complexities and securing parliamentary support for the agreement, which involved significant concessions from Iran in exchange for sanctions relief.
However, US President Donald Trump had walked out of the deal in his first term under pressure from Israel.
In his second term, Trump ordered the bombardment of Iranian nuclear sites and demanded the complete end to Tehran’s enrichment activities under civilian nuclear programme, allowed under NPT to which Iran is a signatory.
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Experience comes when you play bigger teams in bilateral series: Rashid Khan
Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.
Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.
However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.
"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.
The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.
"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.
With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.
"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."
Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.
"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.
"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."
