Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks with Iranian leaders in Tehran on Monday, his first visit to Iran since the US and Israel launched strikes at the end of February.
Mr Lavrov met Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and the two held a joint press conference, according to wire copy carried by Yahoo. He was then received by President Masoud Pezeshkian, TASS and Al Jazeera reported.
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced the working visit on Sunday, TASS reported. Iran's foreign ministry confirmed the trip, according to Reuters via Al Arabiya.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also said Mr Lavrov met Mohsen Rezaei, described as secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. That meeting was reported by only one outlet, citing the ministry.
Mr Araghchi said Iran and Russia share the view that regional problems have no military solution. "Our common view with Russia is that regional issues have no military solution. They must be pursued through diplomacy and political solutions," he said in a statement shared by the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Telegram, according to ANI.
Mr Araghchi and the Tehran Times said the talks covered Palestine, Lebanon and Yemen, security in the Strait of Hormuz, and recent attacks on commercial vessels and port infrastructure in the Caspian Sea. The New Arab reported that Afghanistan-Pakistan tensions were also discussed.
No independent confirmation of the Caspian Sea incidents was found. Mr Araghchi described insecurity in Hormuz as the "inevitable result" of US and Israeli aggression, according to ANI.
Mr Lavrov said Russia remained committed to the 20-year strategic partnership agreement, which came into force on 2 October, Al Jazeera reported. He said Russian specialists would gradually return to the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which they left during the war.
According to The New Arab, Mr Lavrov called for conditions in the Strait of Hormuz to return to their pre-war state. He also said opposition to US unilateralism was a shared priority for the two countries.
At the press conference, Mr Lavrov said: "We once again expressed our country's readiness to assist in finding mutually acceptable solutions to overcome this man-made crisis." The Manila Times reported that he said Moscow's efforts aimed at preventing the return of a large-scale war.
Moscow describes the situation as illegal aggression by the US and Israel against Iran. Yahoo reported that Mr Lavrov called Iran's fight a "just cause" and the US campaign unprovoked. No response from the US or Israel to these remarks had been reported.
Mr Pezeshkian urged faster implementation of existing agreements, naming energy and trade, according to the Tehran Times and TRT World. Minute Mirror reported he said Iran would not accept a world in which one country used military power to impose its will.
Al Jazeera reported that Mr Pezeshkian said Russia shared common views and approaches with Iran. No new agreement was reported from the talks, and the Russian Foreign Ministry said the visit helped identify practical steps for relations, according to TRT World.
CBS News reported that Iran's praise of Russia contrasted with a claim by US President Donald Trump that Russia had given Tehran little support. It also reported that Mr Araghchi said on Tuesday that Russia and Iran had never worked so closely.
The US and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran at the end of February 2026, beginning a war that lasted months, CBS News reported. The Manila Times reported that talks between Tehran and Washington have stalled, and that Moscow says its visit is part of efforts to ease tension and mediate.
Russia and Iran signed a strategic partnership agreement in early 2025 to deepen military and economic cooperation over 20 years. Unlike Russia's treaty with North Korea, it has no mutual-defence clause, according to the Yahoo wire report.
Bushehr is Iran's nuclear power plant, which Russia helped build. The Strait of Hormuz is a key shipping route, and both Iran and Russia blame the US for insecurity there.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei confirmed the trip on Sunday. No follow-up meetings or dates had been announced.
Photo: ДИП МИД РФ (фотограф Эдуард Песов) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
