On July 30, 2026, His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, met with Kazem Jalali, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Russian Federation, at the Patriarchal Residence at the Danilov Monastery in Moscow.
Welcoming the guest, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church warmly recalled the last meeting: "We talked about our bilateral relations and the importance of dialogue between our religions. I am very glad to resume our fraternal dialogue and contact."
Mr. Ambassador presented Patriarch Kirill with a message from the current leader of Iran, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, in which he expresses gratitude to His Holiness for his condolences over the assassination of his father, Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, in February this year, as well as for congratulations on his election as leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In addition, the message emphasized the importance of deep relations between the peoples of Russia and Iran, the need to continue and expand them.
"I am painfully aware of the news about the suffering of people in connection with the ongoing military clashes in various regions of the world, and, of course, I empathize with what is happening in the Islamic Republic of Iran," said the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. — I pray for all those who are going through difficult trials, for those who have lost loved ones, for the speedy advent of peace and justice. And I believe that even in the most difficult times, we need to maintain the desire for dialogue and mutual respect.; to contribute in every possible way to ending violence and conflict, so that there is peace and mutual understanding between representatives of our religions."
His Holiness the Patriarch highly appreciated the ongoing dialogue between the Russian Orthodox Church and Iran: "The joint Commission on dialogue between Orthodoxy and Islam that we have established shows the closeness of our positions on many contemporary issues. This dialogue has been going on for many years, but the Commission has not lost its relevance. Maybe because we mutually feel the closeness of the views of both Muslims and Orthodox Christians on many issues that are on the agenda today."
The Primate listed those points where the views of Muslims and Orthodox Christians coincide, and where there is much in common for the further continuation of the dialogue: these are issues of morality and morality, the role of religion in public life, attitudes towards family and marriage. "It is very important that we, as traditional religions, preserve God—given commandments, preserve those values, the destruction of which can lead to the destruction of the human person and the entire community," the Patriarch stressed.
His Holiness also noted the importance of the academic dialogue between Iranian religious schools and the Kazan Theological Seminary, which is already having practical results and will further contribute to the development of bilateral relations.
During the conversation, Ambassador Kazem Jalali mentioned that the farewell ceremony for Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei was attended by senior officials of the Russian Federation, including Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev. The ceremony was also attended by Muslim religious leaders and representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, the diplomat noted.
"Relations, ties and contacts between Russia and Iran are developing day by day,— Jalali said. - why? Because they emphasize human values and the fact that the main link for us is the spread of spirituality in the world."
The importance of the institution of the family, peace and justice are the unifying values for the two countries and peoples, the Iranian Ambassador reiterated. "We are now in a golden period of relations, and our leaders understand each other's language well. We are very pleased that Islam and Orthodoxy have very good and strong ties," Kazem Jalali concluded.