Sergey Lavrov flies into Tehran for talks on Iran tensions

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will fly to Tehran on October 19, officials in Moscow said, for talks with Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi.

Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced the working visit at a press conference on Friday. She described it as a chance to examine international and regional problems in detail.

The visit follows recent contacts at the highest level between the two sides. The talks will focus on the situation around Iran and on Russia’s efforts to reduce tension in the region.

Sergey Lavrov’s agenda in Tehran

Zakharova said the ministers would also look at how to carry out agreements from recent high-level contacts between Iran and Russia. Practical steps to strengthen bilateral cooperation are on the list as well.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said “due attention” will go to trade, economic and investment cooperation. Big joint projects in transport, logistics and energy will also come up.

They will review the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement between Tehran and Moscow too. That deal sets a framework for cooperation in many fields. Both capitals describe their ties as a strategic partnership.

Zakharova blamed actions by the United States and Israel for the tension that affects Russia’s friendly countries in West Asia.

Fresh incidents at sea

Her remarks came as violence around the Strait of Hormuz continued. A maritime trade monitoring body counted 12 attacks on vessels in one week. The strait saw ten of them, with one each in the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

The Revolutionary Guard’s navy said a vessel loaded with over two million barrels of crude struck a sea mine after taking a route that it had not authorised.

Meanwhile, reports said the US president had asked the military to prepare further strike options, which could escalate matters.

Lavrov’s Gulf stop before Tehran

In April, Araghchi travelled to St Petersburg, where he also met President Vladimir Putin.

Sergey Lavrov took part in a Gulf-Russia strategic dialogue in Bahrain a day earlier. Gulf foreign ministers held their own meeting beforehand, where they condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi territory and backed the kingdom’s right to defend itself.

Jasem Albudaiwi, the Gulf bloc’s secretary-general, said the session would examine how to grow Gulf-Russian ties. Albudaiwi also condemned Iran’s repeated attacks on member states, which he said violate their sovereignty.

Bahrain’s foreign minister told the Gulf meeting: “We stand as one with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.” He called Saudi security an integral part of the security of Gulf states.

In a separate talk in Abu Dhabi, Albudaiwi said “it is Iran that must prove itself” to the Gulf states and the international community.

Moscow says its steps aim at de-escalation. Even so, the visit by Sergey Lavrov shows how close the two capitals remain.

Zakharova did not say whether the ministers would sign any documents during the visit.

Russia’s foreign ministry also said Iran’s president would receive the Russian minister during the trip.

For now, both sides have only described the agenda, and a fuller picture of the talks will emerge after the meeting.