Vladimir Putin has held talks at the Kremlin with Mohsen Rezaei, who heads Iran’s security council, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, citing Interfax. The meeting came only days after Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov travelled to Tehran, his first trip there since the Middle East war broke out, as Moscow tries to position itself as a mediator.
Russia’s mediation push amid the Middle East war
Lavrov’s trip followed Putin’s early October message to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in which he said Moscow was ready to help mediation efforts. Russia and Iran, both among the most heavily sanctioned countries in the world, maintain close ties. Their military and economic cooperation has grown since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Hormuz hostilities persist despite earlier truces
The war began in February with US-Israeli strikes on Iran. A ceasefire in April and a US-Iran memorandum of understanding in June have not stopped fighting in and around the Strait of Hormuz. Iran claims control of the waterway, through which about one-fifth of the world’s hydrocarbons normally pass, and regularly targets vessels that cross without its authorisation.
Also read: Iran foreign minister calls US outreach a positive step · Iran and US explore talks as renewed war threats grow
In response, Washington has kept a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports in place.
