What is Lavrov’s mission in Tehran?
What is Lavrov’s mission in Tehran?
According to incoming news, it is planned that Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, will travel to Iran on Tuesday. In this regard, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran announced that Sergey 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 take place within the framework of ongoing consultations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Russian Federation regarding bilateral relations and regional and international issues.
According to him, Lavrov will meet with some other high-ranking officials of the country in addition to meeting with the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic.
Following the news of the Russian Foreign Minister’s trip to Iran, Kazem Jalali, Iran’s ambassador to Russia, confirmed this news during a contact with an ISNA reporter and further clarified that this is a one-day trip. During this trip, Lavrov will meet with Abbas Araghchi to consult and discuss bilateral, regional, and international issues.
According to some news sources, Lavrov is supposed to visit Turkey at the beginning of this week before traveling to Tehran.
Talks between the US and Russia and their impact on Iran
Lavrov’s trip to Iran is taking place at a time when recent talks between the US and Russia to normalize relations have been hosted in Riyadh.
Although Lavrov’s trip 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 positions in the face of pressure from the US and Western countries.
Moscow’s move to mediate between Trump and Tehran
Lavrov’s trip to Tehran is taking place while Russian analysts have recently suggested that the start of Trump’s negotiations with Russia about Ukraine might be a prelude to a much bigger challenge for the US President, namely Iran.
Although this idea seems impossible, it is a path the Trump administration is likely to take to solve one of the oldest foreign policy dilemmas of the US, an issue that has puzzled successive US administrations since the Iranian Revolution.
Political analyst based in Moscow, Malik Dudakov, has suggested that the Trump administration should seek diplomatic help from Russia to facilitate dialogue with Iran, especially given the escalation of regional tensions following recent US-Israeli security talks in Tel Aviv and Netanyahu’s 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 tries to achieve 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 regime in Syria and have had extensive cooperation during the country’s past crises. However, it should be noted that conditions in Syria and the region have changed, and the fall of Assad has brought significant changes in Syria’s internal equations, and there may be a need to readjust strategies for both Iran and Russia. Lavrov’s trip 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.