The real reason why the Iranian Foreign Minister sought a hurried meeting with Vladimir Putin

Amid reports that Tehran submitted a new proposal to the US to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the ongoing war, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in Russia to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, a meeting the Kremlin claims was urgently agreed upon at Iran's request.

Aragchi later expressed satisfaction with the meeting after Putin said Russia will do  everything that serves Iran’s interests and to achieve peace as quickly as possible. Putin stated that "the Iranian people are courageously and heroically fighting for their sovereignty", without specifying against whom, and Russia hopes for the end of the "period of trials" and the coming of peace.

Araghchi thanked Putin for his earlier condolences (following the assassination of Ali Khamenei), while adding that Iran would continue to fight the United States. "We have friends like Russia who will be by our side in difficult times," Araghchi emphasised Tehran's position.

However, analysts are now attempting to read between the lines of the hurried Aragchi-Putin meeting. They say the real reason for the visit is Tehran’s interest in involving Russia in finding a way out of the war's deadlock. “Araghchi's visit to Russia is likely connected to news that Iran has put forward new proposals to the US regarding the priority of topics in potential negotiations,” Andrei Zeltyn, senior lecturer at the HSE School of Oriental Studies, told Russian media Vedomosti . “This suggests that both Tehran and Washington are currently seeking a way out of the confrontation and the complete stalemate of the war, but each wants to portray it as a victory. And theoretically, if Trump accepts Tehran's new proposals, he could explain his victory by  saying that the Strait of Hormuz remains open (ignoring the reason for its closure), and Iran would then talk about preserving its nuclear programme.”

Political scientist and independent expert on Middle East conflicts, Kirill Semenov, also believes that Araghchi's visit to Russia is almost certainly related to the Iran-US negotiations.

“The Iranian minister likely sought to once again understand Moscow's position in this context and discuss the parameters of a possible settlement. At the same time, Moscow  and Tehran don't always share the same views, for example, on the issue of Iran's nuclear programme. Russia likely would like Iran to remain open to compromise wherever  possible,” Semenov said.

For Russia, resolving the Middle East conflict and the crisis is important in the long term,  as it has a number of important projects there, such as the North-South Corridor. Its implementation directly depends on Iran's willingness to take radical measures against its neighbours, as well as on their overall relations.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov has already hinted that Russia could talk to the US regarding this. “Moscow will review signals from Iran, the US, and Israel regarding the Middle East conflict and then present its views,” Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov stated. "We will analyse what he [Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi ] says, and, in light of today's conversation, we will analyse the signals we received from both the Americans and the Israelis. And then we will also see what to do," he said.

He added that the US did not express any negative attitude toward Russian President Vladimir Putin's meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. “No, no one expressed any negative attitude. It's part of normal diplomatic work. Plus, given Russia's commitment to the Iranian settlement, it's only natural that we meet with Araghchi , who, I believe, has something to say," Ushakov tadded.