Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Russian President Vladimir Putin as Tehran pushed a burst of regional diplomacy after U.S.-Iran talks faltered and a planned trip by American envoys to Pakistan was canceled.
The meeting put Russia back near the center of efforts to manage the Middle East conflict, even as the available reporting shows no clear breakthrough. The immediate pressure points remain a possible political settlement between Washington and Tehran, the status of a ceasefire, and the disruption around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy shipping lanes.
Araghchi arrived in Russia after stops that included Pakistan and Oman, according to reporting citing Iranian state media. Pakistan-led mediators have been trying to narrow significant gaps between the United States and Iran, a regional official involved in the mediation efforts told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the talks.
Talks shift after canceled U.S. travel
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had been expected to travel to Islamabad for peace talks, but President Donald Trump said he canceled the trip. Trump told Fox News on Sunday that any Iran negotiations could happen by phone, saying, “If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us.”
Trump also said an Iranian offer for a lasting peace deal was “not enough,” and framed the core U.S. demand in stark terms: “They cannot have a nuclear weapon. Otherwise there’s no reason to meet.”
Araghchi, after arriving in Russia, blamed Washington for the failure of the previous Pakistan round, according to Iranian state media quoted in the CBS live updates. He said U.S. positions caused talks that had made progress to fall short because of “excessive demands.”
The dueling accounts underscore the uncertainty around the talks. Al Jazeera, in a brief video item, described both the United States and Iran as claiming to have the upper hand in negotiations over the war. The public record in the supplied sources does not establish which side has greater leverage, or whether another round of direct or indirect talks is scheduled.
Araghchi’s meeting with Putin follows reporting that Russia has tried to avoid being drawn directly into the conflict while remaining an important regional player. The New York Times source summary said Araghchi met Putin in Moscow; the CBS updates, citing Iranian state media, said the foreign minister was in Russia for a meeting with Putin and separately referred to St. Petersburg. The precise venue is not settled in the supplied material, but the diplomatic signal is clear: Iran is seeking high-level backing and channels beyond the stalled Pakistan track.
The Russia visit came during a wider round of calls and travel. Araghchi had spoken with France’s foreign minister and Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, according to Iranian state media and Qatar’s Foreign Ministry. Qatar said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani urged continued mediation, freedom of navigation and a peaceful path to a sustainable agreement.
Hormuz raises the stakes
The Strait of Hormuz remains a central concern because about a fifth of the world’s oil normally moves through the waterway, according to Chevron chairman and CEO Mike Wirth, who spoke on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” Wirth said the global energy system has lost “an incredible amount of flexibility” since the start of the Iran war and warned that reopening the strait would not instantly restore normal flows.
Oil prices had risen as traders absorbed the stalled ceasefire diplomacy, with West Texas Intermediate and Brent crude both sharply above their prewar levels in the CBS update. The same report said tankers carrying crude had been stranded in the Persian Gulf, unable to safely transit through the strait.
For now, diplomacy is moving through multiple capitals without a confirmed agreement. The next meaningful shift would be either a renewed negotiating channel between Washington and Tehran, a concrete step to reopen sea lanes through Hormuz, or a public sign that outside mediators have narrowed the distance between the two sides.
Comments (0)