Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Iran on Monday, according to Russian media reports. It is his first trip to the country since the outbreak of the Middle East war.
Moscow is seeking to play a mediating role in the conflict. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei stated on Sunday that the visit would focus heavily on regional and international developments.
The Russian foreign ministry confirmed that Lavrov is scheduled to meet Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and hold official discussions with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi.
Lavrov has stated that Moscow’s diplomatic efforts aim to prevent the return of a large-scale war. Talks between Tehran and Washington remain stalled.
The visit follows a conversation in early October. Russian President Vladimir Putin told Pezeshkian at that time that Moscow was fully prepared to contribute to mediation efforts.
Russia and Iran are two of the most heavily sanctioned nations in the world and maintain close ties. Their military and economic cooperation has increased since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The Middle East war began in February with US-Israeli strikes on Iran. A ceasefire was reached in April, followed by a US-Iran memorandum of understanding in June, but hostilities in and around the Strait of Hormuz have continued.
Iran claims control over the strategic waterway, through which one-fifth of the world’s hydrocarbons pass in normal times. Tehran regularly targets vessels that cross the strait without its authorisation.
Washington has maintained a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports in response. The Russian foreign ministry stated that current discussions are expected to focus on resolving the acute international crisis triggered by what it described as the unlawful aggression of the US and Israel against Iran.
The ministry said that the ongoing war has damaged stability and security, affecting both the Middle East and the global scale.
