Russia's Putin arrives in Iran for talks on Syrian conflict, Ukraine grain

In his first trip outside the former Soviet Union since the Ukraine conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Iran for a summit with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts.

The three countries are working together to try to reduce the violence in Syria. 

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to launch another operation in Northern Syria, which Tehran and Moscow oppose. In Tehran, Putin and Erdogan will meet to discuss a deal aimed at resuming Ukraine's Black Sea grain exports. 

Putin will meet Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, just a few days after US President Joe Biden visited Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Putin's visit to Tehran is watched closely as Russia's invasion of Ukraine has reconfigured the global oil market and because of Washington's warning about Tehran's plan to provide Russia with up to several hundred drones. Tehran has denied selling drones to Moscow to use in Ukraine.