Updated

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian traveled to Turkmenistan to attend the CIS Council of Heads of State and the Caspian Sea Environmental Summit, meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin and stressing strengthened strategic bilateral ties, following an earlier phone call in which the two leaders emphasized expanding cooperation. Iranian officials separately said the country could boost exports to Russia from $1-2 billion to as much as $20 billion by tapping Russian import demand, while a deputy foreign minister attended a related Caspian littoral states working group meeting.