Top Russian diplomat Lavrov visits Tehran for talks

TEHRAN: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Tehran on Tuesday for talks with senior officials, Iranian state media reported.

Lavrov is to meet his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, state television said.

The Russian foreign ministry said their talks would cover “Russian-Iranian relations” as well as “a number of current international issues.”

They include the latest developments in Syria and Yemen, as well as the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers, the ministry said.

The nuclear deal collapsed after Washington abandoned it during President Donald Trump’s first term in 2018 and reimposed sweeping sanctions.

After his return to office this year, Trump reinstated his policy of “maximum pressure” against Iran.

With Russia too facing sanctions over its war in Ukraine, Moscow and Tehran have stepped up their cooperation in recent years.

Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Iran of supplying Russia with weapons for use in the war — allegations Iran has repeatedly denied.

During a visit to Moscow in January, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a strategic partnership with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin underpinning their economic and military cooperation.

The two governments suffered a major setback in Syria in December when Islamist-led rebels toppled their longtime ally Bashar al-Assad after more than a decade of fighting in which they had both invested heavily.