Iran\u2019s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, on Monday met in Russia with President Vladimir V. Putin to discuss Iran\u2019s war with the United States, as negotiations to end the conflict appear to have stalled.<\/p>\n
Mr. Araghchi\u2019s visit underscored Russia\u2019s tricky position, as it tries to remain a key player in the Middle East without undermining its other interests, especially its war in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
In opening remarks before the meeting, Mr. Putin said that he had received a message from Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran\u2019s new supreme leader, and that Russia sees how \u201ccourageously and heroically the people of Iran are fighting for their independence and for their sovereignty.\u201d He said Moscow hoped that \u201cguided by their new leader, the people of Iran will endure this challenging period of hardship, and peace will prevail.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will do everything in your interests, in the interests of people of the region, so that peace gets achieved as soon as possible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr. Araghchi\u2019s trip follows a weekend of talks in Pakistan and Oman, which have both acted as mediators in the negotiations between Tehran and Washington. He was supposed to have met with Steve Witkoff, President Trump\u2019s special envoy, and Jared Kushner, the president\u2019s son-in-law, in Pakistan over the weekend, but Mr. Trump abruptly called off the trip.<\/a><\/p>\n Mr. Trump\u2019s decision to cancel the trip suggested that the two sides remained far apart on a comprehensive deal to end the war.<\/p>\n On the sidelines of Monday\u2019s meeting, Mr. Araghchi told Russian state media that the United States had asked for negotiations, and that Iran was considering it. But it was unclear whether he was referring to a new round of negotiations after Mr. Trump called off last weekend\u2019s. Both Iran and the United States have traded comments on who has the upper hand in the talks.<\/p>\n After Mr. Araghchi landed in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Monday, he said he intended to discuss the war<\/a> with Mr. Putin and other officials and conduct \u201cnecessary coordination,\u201d according to Iranian state media.<\/p>\n Omid Memarian, a senior fellow at DAWN, a Washington-based organization focused on the Middle East, suggested that one possibility could be a phased approach to ending the war.<\/p>\n \u201cA phased approach \u2014 first ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, then moving to broader negotiations \u2014 could give both sides a limited interim victory and create space for talks under less pressure,\u201d Mr. Memarian said, adding that Mr. Putin has often used his ties with Iran as leverage in his broader dealings with Washington. \u201cMr. Putin may be Iran\u2019s last card in trying to persuade Trump to accept such an arrangement.\u201d<\/p>\n But even though Russia is a key ally of Iran, it has sought to avoid becoming too entangled in the conflict, said Nikita Smagin, an analyst based in Baku, Azerbaijan, who specializes in Russia\u2019s role in the Middle East. Mr. Putin\u2019s main interest, he said, is to persuade Mr. Trump to press Ukraine to accept a peace deal favorable to Moscow.<\/p>\n Russia has also tried to maintain strong ties with Israel and the Persian Gulf countries that Iran has attacked since the war began in late February.<\/p>\n Russia has been \u201clargely limiting its interaction with Iran,\u201d said Mr. Smagin, adding that this approach was \u201crational,\u201d given Russia\u2019s long-term interests in Ukraine.<\/p>\n \u201cRussia is still trying to be cautious in the areas where Iran needs it most \u2014 primarily regarding the supply of weaponry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n But, he added, Russia also does not want \u201cto ruin her relationships with the Gulf states, Israel and Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n A major issue in the negotiations is the fate of Iran\u2019s enriched uranium. In April, the Kremlin reiterated its readiness to take that uranium. In 2015, Russia took delivery of most of the Iranian stockpile under the nuclear deal that was later canceled by President Trump.<\/p>\n Moscow has provided intelligence<\/a> to Tehran, including satellite imagery showing the locations of American warships and military personnel, according to U.S. officials. European officials have warned that Russia may be preparing to deliver advanced drones<\/a> to Iran.<\/p>\n In addition, Moscow has provided diplomatic cover for Iran at the United Nations, vetoing a resolution that called for countries to cooperate to open the Strait of Hormuz. <\/p>\n Russia and Iran do not share a border, but they trade via the Caspian Sea, a link that has become more important since the American blockade of Iranian ports.<\/p>\n