Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Tehran on Monday for a working visit and talks with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
Mr Lavrov was also due to meet Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Daily Sabah published a photograph of Mr Araghchi welcoming him.
Azerbaijan's APA news agency and TodayPress TV reported that the talks between the two foreign ministers had begun. No account of their outcome was available at the time of writing, and the meeting with Mr Pezeshkian had not yet been confirmed as held.
The Russian ministry said it would be the fourth in-person meeting between Mr Lavrov and Mr Araghchi in 2026, APA reported. The two last met in Turkmenistan on 9 October, at a Commonwealth of Independent States meeting, according to Mehr news agency.
Mr Lavrov travelled to Tehran from Manama, where he attended a ministerial meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council. TASS said he was likely to brief Iran on that meeting. No other source confirmed this.
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced the visit on Friday 16 October. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the agenda focused on "the situation around Iran and Russia's steps toward de-escalating tensions", according to TASS.
The ministry also listed trade, investment, transport, logistics and energy projects among the topics, according to APA. It said the two sides would coordinate their positions at the United Nations, BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the Eurasian Economic Union.
In a statement carried by India's ANI news agency, the ministry said the talks would contribute to "further strengthening the Russia-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership". It said this was in the interests of regional stability.
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei announced the visit on Sunday, according to state news agency IRNA. He said it was part of ongoing consultations and a follow-up on bilateral agreements.
Mr Baghaei said bilateral relations and regional developments topped the agenda of Mr Lavrov's meetings in Tehran. In the remarks quoted, he did not mention mediation.
Daily Sabah, citing the Russian Foreign Ministry, said the talks would address ways to resolve what the ministry called the "unlawful aggression of the U.S. and Israel against Iran". That is the Russian ministry's description. No response from the United States or Israel had been reported.
Daily Sabah also quoted Mr Lavrov as saying Moscow's efforts aim to prevent a return to large-scale war. The date and setting of that remark could not be confirmed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told Mr Pezeshkian in early October that Moscow was ready to help mediation efforts, according to Daily Sabah. Neither Iran nor the United States had been reported as responding to any Russian mediation role.
Daily Sabah said talks between Tehran and Washington had stalled. It described an ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran.
The outlet said Iran claims control of the Strait of Hormuz and regularly targets vessels that cross without its authorisation. It said the United States maintains a naval counter-blockade of Iranian ports.
Israel and the United States fought a 12-day war with Iran in June 2025. Mr Araghchi visited Moscow on 17 December 2025, according to an analysis published on Substack by historian Pietro Shakarian.
Daily Sabah said military and economic ties between Russia and Iran grew after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It said both countries are heavily sanctioned.
Next steps include the meeting with Mr Pezeshkian and any joint statement or press conference after the talks. It is not yet clear whether Russia will take a formal mediation role.
Photo: ДИП МИД РФ (фотограф Эдуард Песов) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
