MOSCOW, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday he was happy to engage with the Russian leadership and that “significant changes are taking place in the region” amid uncertainty over a second round of peace talks aimed at resolving the war in West Asia.
A day earlier, Araghchi arrived in St. Petersburg, Russia, and met with President Vladimir Putin, who praised the Iranian people for their heroic fight for sovereignty.
“It is a pleasure to engage with Russia at the highest level as the region is undergoing significant changes,” Iran’s top diplomat said on social media platform X on Tuesday.
“Recent events demonstrate the depth and strength of our strategic partnership,” he said a day after meeting the Russian president. The Russian president said that Moscow is ready to do its utmost to help West Asia achieve peace as soon as possible.
The Iranian foreign minister added: “As our relations continue to develop, we appreciate Russia’s solidarity and welcome Russia’s support for diplomacy.”
Upon his arrival on Monday, Araghchi was received by Russian officials and Iran’s ambassador to the country, Kazim Jalali.
He arrived in Russia after a whirlwind visit to Islamabad, which he said was “very productive” and included “good consultations” with Pakistan Army Chief of Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Earlier on Monday, Araghchi said during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that relations between Moscow and Tehran represented a “strategic partnership of the highest level” and would continue to develop “regardless of the situation.”
“We thank you for your firm and strong stance in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said.
Foreign Minister Lavrov also said that the talks between President Putin and the Iranian Foreign Minister were “useful and constructive.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said Russia was “ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services acceptable to the parties.”
“We will make all preparations so that peace can finally be achieved, peace can be guaranteed, and there will be no further hostilities,” TASS news agency quoted Peskov as saying.
The first round of peace talks between Iran and the United States, held from April 11 to 12, failed to bring the expected results to all parties in the conflict.
Iran’s foreign minister arrived in Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a brief visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Saied on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end Iran’s conflict with the United States.
After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that U.S. negotiators Steve Witkopf and Jared Kushner would no longer travel to Islamabad for talks with Iran, claiming Washington held all the cards in the matter.
Trump reiterated on Sunday that U.S. and Iranian officials could discuss a peaceful resolution to the conflict by phone.
Last Tuesday, Trump indefinitely extended a two-week ceasefire with Iran to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.
The war began on February 28 when the United States and Israel jointly attacked Iran, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior commanders. The Islamic Republic’s retaliation expanded the war across the Gulf.
This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.
