Putin ally holds talks in Iran as Middle East teeters on brink of wider war

A handout picture provide by the Iranian Army media office shows Iran's army Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri, right, greeting Russia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, in Tehran, Aug. 5, 2024. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, right, meets with Russian Security Council's Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 5, 2024. (Iran's Presidency/WANA/Handout via Reuters)

A senior ally of President Vladimir Putin arrived in Tehran on Monday for talks with Iranian leaders including the president and top security officials as the Islamic Republic weighs its response to the killing of a Hamas leader.