Russian President Vladimir Putin received Ali Larijani, senior adviser to Iran's Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the Kremlin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on July 20, according to local Russian media.

According to Peskov, the Iranian representative provided an assessment of the escalated situation in the Middle East and surrounding the Iranian nuclear program.

Later, the Tehran-based Press TV gave some further details about the meeting, quoting Peskove as further saying that the Russian president had expressed Moscow’s"well-known positions on how to stabilize the situation in the region and on the political settlement of the Iranian nuclear program".

Meanwhile, the Russian presidency also confirmed the meeting and said that, at the instruction of Ayatollah Khamenei, Larijani presented Iran’s views on the current escalation in the region and, notably, surrounding Iran's nuclear program.

Putin expressed support for stabilizing the situation in the region and resolving any issues pertaining to Iran's nuclear program via political means, it added.

The meeting was held amid reports that Iran and the European troika – France, Germany, and Britain – have agreed in principle to hold fresh nuclear negotiations next week.