What is Lavrov’s mission in Tehran?
What is Lavrov’s mission in Tehran?
According to received news, Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, is scheduled to visit Iran on Tuesday. In this regard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran announced that Sergei Lavrov will travel to Tehran in the coming days to meet with his Iranian counterpart and discuss bilateral relations and regional and international developments.
According to Iran Gate, Ismail Baghaei, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that this trip will be conducted within the framework of ongoing consultations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation regarding bilateral relations and regional and international issues.
He mentioned that during this visit, Lavrov will also meet with some other senior officials of the country besides the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic.
Following the news of the Russian Foreign Minister’s visit to Iran, Kazem Jalali, Iran’s ambassador to Russia, confirmed this news during a call with an ISNA reporter and further clarified that this is a one-day trip, during which Lavrov will consult and discuss bilateral, regional, and international issues with Abbas Araghchi.
According to some news sources, Lavrov is supposed to visit Turkey at the start of this week before traveling to Tehran.
Talks between the US and Russia and their impact on Iran
Lavrov’s visit to Iran is taking place at a time when recent talks between the US and Russia for normalizing relations have been hosted in Riyadh.
Although Lavrov’s visit to Iran is not directly related to these negotiations, it is likely that during meetings with Iranian officials, the developments in international relations and their impact on Iran’s domestic and foreign policies will be discussed. In fact, Russia might ask Iran to adopt more coordinated stances in facing pressures from the US and Western countries.
Moscow’s move to mediate between Trump and Tehran
Lavrov’s visit to Tehran is occurring while Russian analysts have recently suggested that the start of Trump’s negotiations with Russia about Ukraine might be a prelude to the much larger challenge for the US president, namely Iran.
Although this idea seems impossible, it is a path that the Trump administration might take to solve one of the oldest foreign policy dilemmas of the US, an issue that has puzzled successive American governments since the Iranian revolution.
Moscow-based political analyst Malik Dudakov has suggested that the Trump administration should seek Russian diplomatic assistance to facilitate dialogue with Iran, especially considering the heightened regional tensions following recent US-Israeli security talks in Tel Aviv and the Netanyahu cabinet’s efforts to increase pressure on Tehran.
Dudakov believes that if Trump approaches from a different angle and seeks Russia’s help for negotiations with Tehran, a space for dialogue might open up. He emphasized that if the US strives for a comprehensive agreement in the Middle East, Russia could play an important and even key role.
Post-Assad Syria and the role of Iran and Russia
Iran and Russia were close allies of the former Bashar Assad government in Syria and had significant cooperation during the country’s past crisis years. However, it should be noted that the situation in Syria and the region has changed, and Assad’s downfall has brought significant changes to Syria’s internal dynamics. There may be a need to readjust strategies for both Iran and Russia. Lavrov’s visit to Iran might be an opportunity for further coordination regarding the situation in Syria and actions to rebuild relations with post-Assad Syria after years of war.
