Iran’s top diplomat in Russia as Tehran intensifies efforts to end the war

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin, as Tehran intensifies diplomatic efforts to end the United States-Israel war on Iran.

Upon his arrival on Monday, Araghchi told Iranian media that he had travelled to Russia “with the aim of continuing close consultations between Tehran and Moscow on regional and international issues”.

The diplomat said his meeting with Putin “will be a good opportunity to discuss developments in the war and review the latest situation”.

“I am confident that these consultations and coordination between the two countries in this regard will be of particular importance,” he added.

The visit follows an earlier meeting in Muscat with Omani officials, as Iran seeks to rally regional and international support for renewed negotiations.

Washington and Tehran agreed to a temporary ceasefire on April 8 following more than a month of fighting that began with US and Israeli attacks on Iran.

The truce, mediated by Pakistan, has since been strained by disputes over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and a US blockade on Iranian ports; meanwhile, a parallel conflict involving Israel and Lebanon also threatens to complicate negotiations.

Russia’s role in diplomacy

Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi said Russia was likely to play a central role in any next phase of the conflict. “We have a scenario for diplomatic settlement and another for confrontation,” Asadi said.

“Russia is going to play a key role when it comes to both, so Iran’s FM is there for consultations over most probably both. We know that Iran has several demands and is trying to prioritise them based on the situation. One is obviously the situation at the Strait of Hormuz, the possibility of the extension of the ceasefire, or another confrontation.”

The diplomatic push comes as US President Donald Trump scrapped plans to send Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner to Pakistan’s capital Islamabad for talks with Iran on Saturday, citing “tremendous infighting and confusion” within Tehran’s leadership.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has reiterated that Tehran will not enter negotiations while the blockade remains in place.

It comes as the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said forces were continuing to implement the blockade, preventing vessels from entering or leaving Iranian waters.

“American forces have directed 38 ships to turn around or return to port,” CENTCOM said on X.

Trump said Iran had “offered a lot, but not enough”, while adding on Sunday that Iranian leaders “can come to us, or they can call us” if they wanted to resume talks.

Araghchi earlier described discussions in Islamabad as “very productive” and said they included a review of “the specific conditions under which negotiations between Iran and the US could continue”.

Reporting from Islamabad, Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid said Pakistani officials remained hopeful that diplomacy could still succeed.

“According to one diplomatic source, recent events have served as a catalyst, [reinforcing the view] that there needs to be a permanent end to hostilities,” he said.

“We are being told here in Islamabad that we are inching towards a framework of sorts, which will provide a background to which all of these sides can come to an agreement – and not just the Iranians and the Americans, but essentially the Gulf countries as well.”