At the opening of negotiations with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi charged that the West was complicit in Israel’s “genocide” against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

Putin welcomed Raisi to the Kremlin as part of a flurry of Middle East-focused discussions, one day after traveling to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to discuss the wars in Gaza and Ukraine as well as Russian and OPEC efforts to raise oil prices.

In televised opening remarks, neither leader referred to their countries’ growing military cooperation – a source of concern to the United States, which says Iran is supplying Russia with weapons to use against Ukraine.

Putin said it was very important to discuss the situation in the Middle East, especially in the Palestinian territories.

Raisi responded via a translator: “What is happening in Palestine and Gaza is of course genocide and a crime against humanity.” He said it was “even more sad” that this was supported by the United States and the West.