Lavrov to visit Iran as Russia seeks war mediation

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was due to arrive in Iran on Monday for his first visit there since the Middle East war began, as Moscow seeks a mediating role.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed the trip on Sunday and said the two sides would discuss “regional and international developments”. Lavrov was scheduled to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

Lavrov said Moscow’s efforts were aimed at preventing a return to large-scale war, with talks between Tehran and Washington stalled. Russian President Vladimir Putin told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in early October that Moscow was prepared to contribute to mediation efforts.

Russia’s foreign ministry said discussions during the visit were expected to focus on ways to resolve what it called an acute international crisis triggered by the “unlawful aggression” of the United States and Israel against Iran.

Russia and Iran maintain close military and economic ties, which have grown since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The Middle East war began in February with US-Israeli strikes on Iran. A ceasefire followed in April and a US-Iran memorandum of understanding in June, but hostilities in and around the Strait of Hormuz have continued.

Iran claims control over the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s hydrocarbons pass in normal times, and regularly targets vessels that cross without its authorisation. Washington has maintained a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports.