Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, in Tehran on Monday, his first visit to Iran since the war began, according to CBS News and The Washington Times.
The two men held a joint news conference after their talks, CBS News reported. Mr Lavrov said his talks were "aimed at preventing the return of a large-scale war".
Al Jazeera reported that Mr Araghchi said the discussions focused on regional developments, including the US-Israeli war on Iran. Al Jazeera said it was Mr Lavrov's first visit to Iran since February 2025.
Mr Lavrov was due to meet President Masoud Pezeshkian later on Monday, according to Azerbaijan's APA news agency. It had not been confirmed that this meeting took place.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced the visit on 17 October. In a statement carried by India's ANI news agency, citing Russia's TASS, she said it was a working visit to discuss international and regional problems.
She said the visit would focus on "the situation around Iran and Russia's steps toward de-escalating tensions".
Mr Araghchi said the insecurity around the Strait of Hormuz was a direct result of what he called military aggression by the United States and Israel against Iran. He said it was continuing in different forms, according to Al Jazeera.
Mr Araghchi also said Iran's policy was to focus on diplomacy, because regional problems had no military solution, Al Jazeera reported.
Mr Lavrov said Russia was committed to the 20-year strategic partnership agreement with Iran, which came into force on 2 October 2026, APA reported.
No Russian readout of the talks had been reported. No reaction from the United States or Israel to the visit had been reported.
Mr Lavrov travelled to Tehran from Bahrain, where he took part on Sunday in a Russia-Gulf Cooperation Council strategic dialogue in Manama, according to Al Jazeera and The National.
Al Jazeera reported that Gulf Cooperation Council members urged him to use Moscow's influence to press for serious dialogue and for shipping to resume through the Strait of Hormuz.
The council's Secretary General, Jasem Al-Budaiwi, said members had faced more than 7,000 Iranian missiles and drones since the war began, Al Jazeera and The National reported. The brief records no Iranian response to that figure.
Mr Lavrov told the Manama meeting that the United States and Iran should return to the Pakistan-brokered Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, according to The Washington Times and Kurdistan24. He said Russia focused on "removing core reasons for conflict", The National reported.
The National also reported that Mr Lavrov presented an updated Russian collective-security plan for the Gulf. It envisages direct dialogue among Gulf coastal states and their neighbours, including Iraq and Jordan.
The National reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said an oil tanker struck a naval mine. The outlet said the claim could not be verified.
The war began on 28 February 2026, when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, according to Al Jazeera. The Washington Times reported that strikes and attacks on shipping have disrupted the Strait of Hormuz since March.
ANI reported that the UK Maritime Trade Operations recorded 12 attacks in one week: 10 in the Strait of Hormuz, one in the Gulf and one in the Gulf of Oman.
In June, the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding was signed, providing for a ceasefire and the reopening of the strait, according to The Washington Times and Kurdistan24. Kurdistan24 said it also covered maritime security, US sanctions, Iran's nuclear programme and wider security arrangements.
The agreement collapsed in July after attacks on ships, the two outlets reported. Kurdistan24 said Iran resumed attacks on vessels and the US responded militarily. The Washington Times said Iran attacked ships that Tehran said were violating the agreement.
Peace talks have been mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, The Washington Times reported. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said last week that Iran was finalising its response to the latest US proposal.
Mr Araghchi travelled to St Petersburg in April and met President Vladimir Putin, ANI reported. The Washington Times said Mr Lavrov raised the idea of a bigger Russian role on the Strait of Hormuz at the UN General Assembly in September.
The National reported that US President Donald Trump warned overnight that Washington could "soon finish the job" unless Tehran changed its behaviour. The US-Iran peace talks are stalled, and Iran has yet to respond to the latest US proposal.
Photo: U.S. Department of State / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
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