As U.S.-Iran end-of-war talks have stalled, Iran is seeking a breakthrough by drawing closer to key ally Russia. After U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly canceled planned face-to-face talks between the two countries in Pakistan and ratcheted up pressure, Iran rushed its foreign Minister to Russia to discuss direct countermeasures with President Vladimir Putin.
According to a compilation of major media reports on the 27th, including Euronews and ABC News, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrapped up his schedule in Islamabad, Pakistan, on the 26th and headed to Moscow, Russia. Kazem Jalali, Iran's ambassador to Russia, said on social media that "as part of continuing a diplomatic holy war to advance national interests amid external threats, the foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic will visit St. Petersburg to meet the Russian president." Minister Araghchi is expected to meet President Putin to share the current cease-fire status and the state of negotiations and to request strong solidarity from the Russian side.
The U.S. government had initially planned to send Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as a delegation to Pakistan, which had taken on the role of mediator. But President Trump canceled the schedule, saying that merely talking without any gains right before the negotiations was meaningless. Meeting with reporters on the 26th, Trump said, "They should have come back with a better offer, and interestingly, as soon as I canceled the dispatch, they sent a much better new offer within 10 minutes." He also took a hard line, saying, "We're not doing this anymore and we hold all the cards," and "If they want to talk, they can come to us or call us. We have phones and excellent secure lines."
Iran is waging a full-court diplomatic offensive across neighboring countries to avoid ceding control of the talks. Iran relayed a written message to the United States via Pakistan. It reportedly includes Tehran's red lines that it cannot concede, such as its nuclear program and the possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Before visiting Russia, Minister Araghchi contacted the foreign ministers of major countries including Oman, Egypt, France and Saudi Arabia in succession, working to build favorable public opinion.