Russian Lavrov discusses US war, regional security during visit to Tehran | US-Israeli war against Iran

Tehran, Iran – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Tehran to discuss the war with the United States and efforts to end it.

Lavrov landed in the Iranian capital on Monday afternoon for his first visit to Iran since February 2025. Araghchi said talks with Lavrov focused on regional developments, including the US-Israeli war against Iran.

“Regarding the Gulf and West Asia, we have had discussions, as well as Ukraine and Iran-US negotiations,” Araghchi said at a press briefing.

He also denounced Israel’s “dangerous expansion” in the region, which he blamed on current hostilities.

“The lack of security in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz… is due to Israeli-US aggression,” he said.

Lavrov said Russia was committed to a 20-year strategic partnership agreement with Iran, which officially entered into force on October 2, 2026.

He is expected to meet with President Masoud Pezeshkian later Monday.

Moscow said the trip was part of efforts to ease months of tension since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran on February 28.

On Sunday, Lavrov was in Bahrain, a region heavily targeted by Iran during the war, to participate in a strategic dialogue session between Russia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

He was urged by GCC members to use Moscow’s influence with Tehran to push for “serious dialogue” and restore navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, which has been severely disrupted by attacks on commercial shipping.

GCC leader Jasem Al-Budaiwi said member states had faced more than 7,000 Iranian missiles and drones since the start of the war.

In the council’s final statement, the six Arab countries said they wanted Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, as well as its support for regional armed groups, to be included in future talks aimed at ending the war.

Nikita Smagin, an analyst and researcher on the role of Iran and Russia in the Middle East, said Lavrov’s trip reflects Moscow’s efforts to maintain working relations with all countries in the region.

He added that Lavrov also wanted to maintain Russia’s mediator status, despite the impact of the war in Ukraine on its global reputation.

“The timing of visits to the Gulf monarchies and Iran, which take place almost simultaneously, is a deliberate signal: Moscow wants to show that it approaches relations with all these countries on broadly equal terms and is equally interested in cooperation with each of them,” Smagin said.

What is Russia’s place in this context?

Lavrov told GCC ministers in Manama that the region was once again on the brink of full-scale war and that Russia wanted to establish a regional architecture for “collective security.”

He added that this could include combining initiatives from countries in the region, as well as those proposed by Russia and China, with the aim of restoring maritime traffic and achieving lasting peace. The Russian foreign minister urged other regional states, such as Iraq and Jordan, which were also affected by the Iranian strikes, to participate.

Lavrov expressed support for the memorandum of understanding signed between Iran and the United States in June, which subsequently failed, as a framework to reduce tensions.

Iran has said it wants to return to that agreement and for Washington to honor the finalized bilateral agreement between Iran and Oman to manage the territorial waters of the Strait of Hormuz. This was opposed by the United States, which established its own water route for maritime transport.

Intelligence reports cited by US media indicate that Russia and China are providing military support to Iran in the form of satellite imagery intended to target weapons components.

But US President Donald Trump contradicted the reports last week, saying Moscow and Beijing would have “too much to lose” if they helped Iran.

Washington also granted sanctions waivers in favor of Russia, in an effort to lower fuel prices, driven by the war against Iran.

Mixed intentions

Russia’s position on the Iran war is somewhat unusual, Smagin said. Moscow has a partial interest in the conflict continuing, as rising oil prices and severe restrictions on the arrival of Iranian oil in China benefit Moscow.

“Russia and Iran primarily compete for the Chinese market, so China is now forced to buy Russian oil at higher prices because Iranian supplies are largely unavailable,” he said.

Smagin added that Russia does not want the conflict to escalate further, as the consequences could be unpredictable, but that its influence over Iran or the United States to influence the course of the conflict remains limited.

Russia will continue to develop its relations with Tehran, Smagin said, including through trade in the Caspian Sea and limited military cooperation with Iran.

“These efforts appear less aimed at generating economic profits than at expanding Russia’s political influence over Iran and the course of events,” he said.

Military strikes by Iran and the United States to take control of the waterway have continued, ahead of the US midterm elections on November 3.

In his comments to the media, Trump threatened to “finish the job soon” with Iran, to which Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi responded: “We also have unfinished business.”