Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Foreign Minister, arrived in St. Petersburg, Russia, early Monday (27 April) after visits to Islamabad and Muscat.
He is expected to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the visit.
According to Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Araghchi will hold consultations on bilateral Iran–Russia relations as well as regional and international developments.
Upon arrival in St. Petersburg, Araghchi said Iran has always maintained close consultations with Russia and added that the current opportunity allows both sides to “consult with our Russian friends about the developments that have occurred in relation to the war during this period and what is happening now.”
Araghchi had previously visited Islamabad and Muscat.
In an interview with IRIB, he described his visit to Islamabad as “very successful” and said he discussed with Pakistani officials the conditions under which negotiations with the United States could be resumed.
He described “incorrect approaches and US excessive demands” as reasons why the previous round of Iran–US talks, despite progress, failed to reach its goals.
The first round of Iran–US negotiations ended without results, and a second round has not yet been held. The US president has said that if Iran wants talks, it should “make the call.”
Donald Trump added: “They know what has to be in the deal. It’s very simple: they cannot have a nuclear weapon, otherwise there is no reason to negotiate.”
Axios reported that Iran, through Pakistan, has proposed a new plan to the US that includes reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the conflict, while postponing discussions on its nuclear program to a later stage.
