Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to arrive in Iran today for his first visit to the country since the start, in late February, of the war in the Islamic Republic following U.S.-Israeli strikes, while Russia seeks to play a mediating role.
In early October, Russian President Vladimir Putin had assured his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeskian that Russia is ready to contribute to mediation efforts in the war in the Middle East.
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Sergey Lavrov, who is expected to meet with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Tehran, emphasized yesterday, Sunday, that Moscow’s efforts are aimed “to prevent the return of a large-scale war,” as talks between Tehran and Washington have reached an impasse.
“The talks are expected to focus primarily on the situation in the Persian Gulf region and ways to resolve the serious international crisis triggered by the illegal attack by the U.S. and Israel against Iran, which has dealt a blow to stability and security not only in the Near East and the Middle East, but also on a global scale,” he emphasized.
Lavrov’s visit to Iran comes nearly eight months after the war broke out with U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran, plunging the Middle East into flames.
Russia and Iran, two countries subject to some of the harshest sanctions in the world, maintain close political ties. Geographically, they are close, separated only by the Caspian Sea.
Their military and economic cooperation has been significantly strengthened since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Lavrov’s most recent visit to Iran took place in February 2025.
In late September, the head of Russian diplomacy stated from the podium of the UN General Assembly that his country was ready to work toward stabilizing the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf.
Despite the conclusion in April of a ceasefire between Tehran and Washington, followed by a memorandum of understanding in June, hostilities resumed in July around the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran claims control of this strategically important waterway, through which one-fifth of the world’s hydrocarbon trade passed before the war, and regularly targets ships that traverse it without its approval. In retaliation, Washington is imposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
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Source: APE-MPE
