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An electoral banner showing reformist candidate Massoud Pezeshkian, hangs on an overhead foot path traversing a thoroughfare, in Tehran on July 4, 2024,

Iranians voted on Friday in a presidential runoff election where the choice is between a reformist advocating improved ties with the West and an ultraconservative former nuclear negotiator.

At the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Astana, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have unveiled plans for a new regional security organization aimed at countering NATO's influence.

In an interview with Bloomberg published on the evening of July 3, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the possibility of inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to a future world summit organized by Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that there is currently no dialogue between Russia and US presidential candidate Donald Trump regarding the conflict in Ukraine, according to Reuters.

The sole reformist in Iran's presidential election, Masoud Pezeshkian, will face the ultraconservative Saeed Jalili in a runoff, authorities said on June 29, following a vote marred by historically low turnout.

Pezeshkian secured 42.4 percent of the vote, while Jalili, a former nuclear negotiator, came second with 38.6 percent, according to figures from Iran's elections authority.

Two senior Russian officials are vying to lead efforts to combat religious extremism in Russia as ethnic and religious tensions continue to escalate.

Iran's sole reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian and ultraconservative Saeed Jalili have qualified for a runoff presidential election after leading in the first round, an official said on Saturday.

Pezeshkian got more than 10,400,000 votes and Jalili, a former nuclear negotiator, has more than 9,400,000, said Mohsen Eslami, spokesman of Iran's election authority.

Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian and ultraconservative Saeed Jalili are leading in Iran's presidential election, according to early results on Saturday from the Interior Ministry.

According to the latest count, Pezeshkian has won more than 8,300,000 votes and Jalili, a former nuclear negotiator, has above 7,100,000

Iranians go to the polls Friday to elect a new president after ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash last month, with a sole reformist among the candidates.

The election in sanctions-hit Iran comes at a time of high regional tensions between the Islamic republic and its arch-foes Israel and the United States as the Gaza war rages on.

Russia is contemplating scaling back diplomatic relations with Western countries due to what it perceives as "hostile actions and increasing involvement in the conflict in Ukraine," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced.