Russia backs Iran as peace efforts with US remain stalled

ST PETERSBURG / WASHINGTON: As the peace talks between the US and Iran hit a roadblock over the nuclear deal and the Strait of Hormuz closure, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin assured Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi that Moscow would do everything it could to help secure peace in the Middle East.

The remarks by the Russian president came during Araghchi’s visit to Saint Petersburg, where he met the Russian president to discuss the ongoing peace negotiations with the US.

Araghchi had arrived in St Petersburg on the fourth leg of a whirlwind diplomatic tour, having sandwiched a trip to Oman in between two visits to Pakistan over the past few days. In Islamabad, he met the Pakistani army chief and the prime minister to discuss Iran’s response to the US peace proposals for ending the Middle East war.

The Fars news agency reported that Iran had passed “written messages” to the Americans via Pakistan, spelling out red lines, including nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump held talks with his top security advisors, reportedly to discuss the Iranian proposals.

Before the meeting, ABC News quoted two unidentified US officials as saying that a new deal proposed by Tehran to resolve the conflict fell short of Washington’s red lines. That deal centred on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending a US naval blockade of the vital waterway, with nuclear negotiations postponed for a later stage, Axios reported.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Araghchi, however, blamed Washington for the failure of talks in Pakistan — the first and only round of negotiations. “The US approaches caused the previous round of negotiations, despite progress, to fail to reach its goals because of the excessive demands,” he said Monday. Following their meeting, President Putin and Araghchi both voiced their commitment to the two countries’ “strategic relationship”.

“For our part, we will do everything that serves your interests, the interests of all the people of the region, so that peace can be achieved as soon as possible,” Russian state media quoted President Putin as telling Araghchi. He also hailed “how courageously and heroically the people of Iran are fighting for their independence and sovereignty”, the TASS news agency reported.

“Russia, just like Iran, intends to continue our strategic relationship,” Putin added.

Meanwhile, Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov, who is visiting Kyrgyzstan, held talks with Iran’s Deputy Defence Minister Reza TalaeiNik, Al Jazeera reported citing Russia’s TASS news agency.

Mr Belousov reiterated Russia’s longstanding position that the US-Israeli war on Iran should be resolved exclusively through diplomatic means, and that he was confident Moscow and Tehran would continue to support one another.

Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that President Trump met with his national security team on Monday and discussed Iran’s proposal on reopening the key waterway, but did not offer many details.

“The president’s red lines, with respect to Iran have been made very, very clear, not just to the American public but to them as well,” she told reporters during a press briefing.

“I wouldn’t say they’re considering it; I would just say that there was a discussion this morning that I don’t want to get ahead of,” she said of the proposal, noting that Trump would address the topic “very soon”.

Her remarks came after the White House declined to comment on the reports surrounding the contents of the Iranian proposal, with officials insisting that sensitive matters would not be discussed through the media.

“These are sensitive diplomatic discussions and the United States will not negotiate through the press,” Assistant White House Press Secretary Olivia Wales told reporters, reiterating President Donald Trump’s position that Washington would only accept a deal that serves American interests and prevents Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran was “serious” about reaching a deal with the US, but any agreement must prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon. “I think they are serious about getting themselves out of the mess that they’re in,” Rubio told Fox News in an interview.

He pointed to Iran’s worsening economic conditions, including inflation, difficulties paying wages, as well as ongoing sanctions, saying: “All the problems that Iran had before the start of this conflict are still in place, and most of them are worse.

“We have to ensure that any deal that is made … definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon at any point,” he added.

Furthermore, the US and Iran traded sharp remarks over Tehran’s nuclear programme at the opening of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference at the UN headquarters in New York City. The conference will also consider Iran’s election as one of 34 vice-presidents, as it was nominated by the Non-Aligned Movement.

The US delegation informed the meeting that Washington was “deeply shocked” that a country it accused of showing “contempt” for the treaty had been elected vice-president. Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA in Vienna, Reza Najafi, rejected the US statement as “baseless and politically motivated”.

Meanwhile, Iran also lashed out at the European Union over sanctions placed on the country, stating that they “trample” the basic rights of Iran’s citizens. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson’s comments were made in response to remarks by EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, who said it was “too early” to lift sanctions on Iran.