Putin says it's not up to Russia to persuade Iran to pull out of Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a signing ceremony following a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia October 17, 2018. Pavel Golovkin/Pool via REUTERS

SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that it was not up to Russia to persuade Iran to pull its forces out of Syria, and that the governments calling for Iran to leave should provide guarantees that they would not meddle in Syria's affairs.

Putin was speaking at a forum in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi.

(Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov; Writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by John Stonestreet)