Iran's Araghchi visits Russia as talks with US on hold

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Russia on Monday, where he is expected to meet with President Vladimir Putin and seek his support.

The visit comes following Aragchi's trips to mediators Pakistan and Oman to discuss the widening Middle East conflict, with peace efforts between Tehran and Washington currently on ice.

Russia and Iran are close strategic allies, but Moscow has so far been cautious about being drawn into recent Middle East conflicts as it continues with its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Iran pushing regional diplomacy 

Araghchi's trips come against the background of the stalled negotiations with the US, as both sides have rejected several of each other's demands.

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump scrapped a planned trip to Islamabad by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, saying talks there would amount to "sitting around talking about nothing."

A first round of US-Iran talks in Pakistan in mid-April failed to produce a deal.

Araghchi met in Pakistan with the country's military chief, Asim Munir, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday.

He then traveled to Oman before returning to Islamabad once more and then setting off for Russia, where he is scheduled to meet Putin in St. Petersburg.

Araghchi said on X that his talks in Oman had focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which runs between Oman and Iran.

The strait's effective closure amid the conflict has led to massive disruptions in the global oil and gas supply.

Ongoing efforts to bring about US-Iran talks

Iran's Fars news agency has said, however, that efforts are still ongoing to create conditions for a second round of US-Iran talks, saying that Tehran had sent "written messages" to Washington via mediator Pakistan.

It said the messages had outlined Iran's red lines, including nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz.

US media outlet Axios reported on Sunday, citing a US official and two other sources with knowledge of the matter, that Iran had sent a new proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war.

Axios said Tehran wanted nuclear negotiations postponed for a later stage.

Washington is calling on Tehran to stop enriching uranium, saying it is aimed at building nuclear weapons.

Tehran has said its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.