Russian FM Lavrov Arrives in Tehran to Discuss US Conflict and Regional Security

On October 19, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Tehran on his first visit to Iran since February 2025, aiming to hold talks with senior officials there on the conflict with the United States and efforts to end the fighting.

Lavrov is scheduled to meet Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later the same afternoon. Moscow said the trip is part of efforts to reduce tensions after months of conflict that began when the US and Israel launched a military campaign against Iran on February 28.

From Bahrain to Tehran

A day earlier, Lavrov was in Bahrain — which has been heavily targeted by Iran during the conflict — for a session of strategic dialogue between Russia and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

There, GCC members asked Moscow to use its influence with Tehran to push for "serious dialogue" and to restore shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime route severely disrupted by attacks on commercial vessels.

GCC Secretary-General Jasem Al-Budaiwi said member states have had to contend with more than 7,000 Iranian missiles and drones since the conflict began. In their closing statement, the six Arab nations said they want Iran's nuclear and missile programs, along with Tehran's support for regional armed groups, to be included in future negotiations to end the conflict.

Moscow seeks to keep mediator role

Analyst Nikita Smagin, who studies Iran and Russia's role in the Middle East, said Lavrov's trip reflects Moscow's effort to maintain working relations with all countries in the region while preserving its position as a mediator, despite the impact of the Ukraine war on Russia's global standing.

"The fact that the visits to the Gulf states and Iran take place almost simultaneously is a deliberate signal: Moscow wants to show that it approaches relations with all these countries on a relatively equal basis and cares equally about cooperation with each of them," Smagin said.

In Manama, Lavrov told GCC ministers that the region once again faces the risk of full-scale war and that Russia wants to establish a collective regional security structure. According to him, such a structure could combine initiatives from the region's own countries with proposals from Russia and China, in order to restore maritime traffic and achieve lasting peace. The Russian diplomat also called on regional countries such as Iraq and Jordan, which have also been attacked by Iran, to take part.

Lavrov voiced support for the memorandum of understanding (MoU) that Iran and the US signed in June — which later collapsed — as a framework for de-escalation. Iran says it wants to return to the agreement and has asked Washington to respect the completed bilateral agreement between Iran and Oman on managing territorial waters in the Strait of Hormuz. The US objects and has set up its own shipping route there.

Russia's interests and limits

Intelligence reports cited by US media suggest Russia and China are providing military support to Iran in the form of targeting satellite imagery and weapons components. However, US President Donald Trump last week dismissed the reports, saying Moscow and Beijing would "lose too much" by backing Iran. Washington has also granted sanctions exemptions to Russia to lower fuel prices, which have been pushed up by the conflict with Iran.

According to Smagin, Russia's stance on the Iran conflict is somewhat unusual, because Moscow has a partial interest in the conflict continuing, since higher oil prices and strict restrictions on Iranian oil exports to China both benefit Russia.

"Russia and Iran have mainly competed in the Chinese market, so now China is forced to buy Russian oil at higher prices because supply from Iran has largely disappeared," he said.

The analyst said Russia does not want the conflict to escalate further because of unpredictable consequences, but its influence with both Iran and the US in shaping the course of the conflict remains limited. Russia will continue to expand relations with Tehran, including trade via the Caspian Sea and military cooperation to a certain degree.

"These efforts appear aimed at expanding Russia's political influence with Iran and with the course of events rather than generating economic profit," Smagin said.

Meanwhile, Iranian and US military strikes to gain control of the Strait of Hormuz continue, with US midterm elections approaching on November 3. Speaking to reporters, Trump threatened to "finish the job soon" with Iran, and Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi responded: "We also have unfinished business."