Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov Heads to Tehran for Iran War Talks

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is set to visit Tehran on Monday for talks with Iranian officials as Moscow steps up efforts to mediate an end to the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed the visit, saying Lavrov and Iranian officials will discuss regional and international developments.

Lavrov is scheduled to meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during what will be his first visit to Iran since the Middle East war began in February.

The Russian foreign minister said Sunday that Moscow's diplomatic efforts are aimed at preventing a return to large-scale war as negotiations between Tehran and Washington remain stalled.

His previous visit to Iran was in February 2025.

The trip follows repeated contacts between senior Russian and Iranian officials.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian earlier this month that Moscow was prepared to participate in mediation efforts aimed at bringing the crisis to an end.

Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali said Pezeshkian and Putin had met last week in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, their third meeting within a month.

Lavrov also said during the United Nations General Assembly in September that Russia was prepared to work toward restoring stability in the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Gulf region.

The waterway remains central to the dispute.

Tehran insists on monitoring maritime traffic through Hormuz and has targeted vessels attempting to pass without authorization. Washington has responded with sanctions on Iranian ports, while U.S. warships have escorted oil tankers through the strait.

Russia and Iran maintain close political, military and economic relations, with cooperation expanding further since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The current Middle East conflict began in February with U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Diplomatic efforts produced a memorandum of understanding in June through Pakistani mediation, but that framework collapsed the following month after Iran resumed attacks on vessels in Hormuz and the United States responded militarily.

Lavrov, speaking Monday in Bahrain during a meeting of the Russia-Gulf Cooperation Council Strategic Dialogue, called for a return to the Pakistan-brokered framework.

He described it as a possible basis for restarting negotiations and addressing the Hormuz crisis.

The memorandum covered an end to military operations, maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. sanctions, Iran's nuclear program and wider security arrangements.

Lavrov said resolving the current confrontation requires addressing its underlying causes through continued dialogue rather than allowing the conflict to widen.

His Tehran visit places Russia directly into the latest diplomatic effort at a time when Washington and Tehran remain divided over the conditions for reopening Hormuz and reaching a broader settlement.