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17 April 2025,
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has sent Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi to Moscow with a letter for Russian President Vladimir Putin to inform the Kremlin about the talks with the United States on Tehran’s nuclear programme. Washington has repeatedly threatened Iran with bombings and tariffs on countries that buy Iranian oil if no deal is reached. The US has also deployed additional military aircraft to the region.
Last weekend in Oman, the US President Donald Trump’s administration held talks with Iran, which both sides described as positive and constructive. On the eve of the second round, scheduled for the weekend in Rome, Araqchi said that Iran’s right to enrich uranium is not subject to discussion.
Russia, a long-time ally of Iran, plays an important role in the nuclear negotiations as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a signatory to the 2015 JCPOA, which Trump abandoned in 2018. “We always consult closely with our friends China and Russia. Now is a good opportunity to discuss this with Russian officials,” Araqchi told Iranian television.
According to Araqchi, the letter to Putin addresses regional and bilateral issues. Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed that the Russian president would receive the Iranian minister.
The West accuses Iran of enriching uranium to a level close to that required for nuclear weapons, which exceeds the needs of its civilian programme. Tehran denies any intention of creating nuclear weapons, insisting on the right to develop civilian nuclear energy. Moscow has purchased Iranian weapons for the war in Ukraine and signed a 20-year strategic partnership agreement with Iran this year, although it does not include a clause on mutual defence. The two countries were also allies in Syria before Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said that talks with Iran will focus on the JCPOA. “We will continue to expand mutually beneficial relations with Iran for the sake of regional stability and international security,” the ministry said.
Putin maintains close ties with Khamenei, although the West considers Russia and Iran to be adversaries. Moscow opposes a nuclear arms race in the Middle East and calls any military strike against Iran illegal and unacceptable. On Tuesday, the Kremlin refused to comment on the possibility of Russia controlling Iran’s enriched uranium reserves as part of a future nuclear deal.
Source: Reuters
