Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov travels to Iran for talks on war, diplomacy

By Vaughn Cockayne - The Washington Times - Monday, October 19, 2026

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov landed Monday in Tehran for talks with top Iranian officials on the status of the war with the U.S. and diplomatic efforts to end it.

Mr. Lavrov is expected to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to discuss regional developments and the status of peace talks, which have been mediated by Pakistan and Qatar. The trip marks the first time he has visited Iran since the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran began in late February.

Mr. Lavrov said Sunday that he plans to discuss measures to prevent a widespread war between Tehran and Washington.

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During the U.N. General Assembly last month, Mr. Lavrov floated increased diplomatic involvement by Russia in resolving the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, which has increased international oil prices and threatened shipping since March.

Before his visit to Tehran, Mr. Lavrov told the Russia-Gulf Cooperation Council Strategic Dialogue in Bahrain on Monday that the U.S. and Iran should return to the Pakistan-brokered Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.

The agreement, signed by all parties in June, allowed for a complete ceasefire and the reopening of the strait. However, the agreement broke down just weeks later after Iran attacked commercial ships in the waterway that Tehran said were violating the agreement.

The meeting comes amid stalled diplomacy between the U.S. and Iran. Last week, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said his country was finalizing a response to the latest U.S. peace proposal.

Official contact between Russian and Iranian officials has been nearly constant in recent weeks. Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Turkmenistan last week for their third meeting in a month.

Russia has repeatedly offered diplomatic support for Iran and has even floated taking control of its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium. U.S. officials have insisted that any peace deal includes provisions for the disposal or dilution of the uranium.