Putin Holds Meeting with Iran's Araghchi in St. Petersburg

(MENAFN) Russian President Vladimir Putin sat down Monday with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in St. Petersburg, as diplomatic efforts to defuse the escalating standoff between Tehran and Washington gathered critical momentum.

The high-stakes meeting drew senior officials from both sides. Russia was represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, and Adm. Igor Kostyukov, director of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces' General Staff. Iran's delegation featured Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi and Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali.

The Kremlin had signaled the gravity of the encounter even before it began, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov remarking that "the importance of this conversation is difficult to overestimate in terms of the evolving situation around Iran and in the Middle East."

Araghchi touched down in Russia earlier Monday following a stop in Islamabad, Pakistan, where he engaged in negotiations aimed at bringing the ongoing confrontation with the United States to a close — a trip documented by Iran's state-run media. Upon landing in St. Petersburg, he framed the Moscow leg of his tour in measured but pointed terms. "The visit to Russia provides a chance to discuss with Russian officials the latest developments," Araghchi said in a statement, as quoted by a state broadcaster.

The diplomatic flurry traces back to a joint U.S.-Israeli military strike on Iran on Feb. 28, after which Washington and Tehran met in Islamabad for talks two weeks ago — negotiations that ultimately ended without a breakthrough.

Those discussions had themselves been made possible by Pakistan, which brokered a two-week ceasefire on April 8. U.S. President Donald Trump subsequently extended the truce, and efforts to convene a fresh round of negotiations are currently underway.

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