Iran's Pezeshkian left waiting for an hour to meet Putin in Kremlin

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and his delegation were kept waiting for about an hour to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin during his trip to Moscow on Friday, a source told Iran International.

According to the source, the delegation from Iran was given the option to either wait in the lounge or return to their hotel, as Putin was not yet ready to meet.

Pezeshkian decided to leave the Kremlin under the pretext of saying prayers before returning for the delayed meeting.

Putin has routinely made world leaders await his arrival in what is widely viewed as a psychological tactic by the former KGB operative. In two of the most notorious instances, Putin kept German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych waiting for around four hours.

Leaders from Japan, Mongolia and Israel were made to wait for up to three hours. In 2003, Putin kept Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom waiting for almost 15 minutes, a rare slight for the revered monarch.

In 2012, then-US President Barack Obama had to delay post-meeting plans by 40 minutes due to Putin's tardiness.

Analysts believe Putin aims to throw off counterparts and gain an advantage in negotiations with the move, which has mostly been deployed with leaders not in favor with Moscow.