Sergei Lavrov in Tehran: Russia comes to mediate between the Islamic Republic and the US

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Tehran on Monday, 19 October 2026, for talks with Abbas Araghchi, the Islamic Republic's foreign minister. It is Lavrov's first trip to Iran since the war began on 28 February 2026, a trip whose planning was reported in DIAR's earlier report. The Russian Foreign Ministry has said Lavrov will also meet Masoud Pezeshkian, the Islamic Republic's president.

Before arriving in Tehran, Lavrov said Moscow's efforts aim to prevent the return of a wide-scale war in the region. The Russian Foreign Ministry named the agenda of the talks as ways to resolve the international crisis, steps to reduce tension in the Persian Gulf, and strengthening the two countries' strategic partnership. According to the ministry, Lavrov will brief the Iranian side on the outcome of his attendance at the meeting of Gulf Cooperation Council ministers in Manama, the first stop of his regional tour. As of publication, no news of the outcome of the meetings has been announced.

Russian mediation and the deadlock in talks with the US

In Bahrain, Lavrov spoke of a return to the Islamabad memorandum of understanding between the US and the Islamic Republic, calling it a basis for resuming talks on the Strait of Hormuz. Vladimir Putin told Pezeshkian in late September that Moscow was ready to help with mediation. Talks between Tehran and Washington are now stalled, and Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that the Islamic Republic's conditions, including an end to the naval blockade of ports and the lifting of oil sanctions, have not changed.

Lavrov's trip comes as the Gulf Cooperation Council states, at their Manama meeting, asked Russia to use its influence to rein in the Islamic Republic. Donald Trump had also said earlier that Russia is not helping the Islamic Republic much.

The Strait of Hormuz and unsafe shipping

The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre reported 10 attacks on commercial ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz last week and called October the worst month for shipping in the waterway since February. Brent crude fell 2.5 percent on Monday to about $107.

The Islamic Republic and Russia, both under extensive sanctions, have expanded their military and economic cooperation since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a cooperation that began with the drones Tehran sent for the Ukraine war.

Russia, the Islamic Republic's military ally, now presents itself as a ceasefire mediator.