'Pleased' to engage with Russian leadership: Iran foreign minister after talks with Putin

Moscow: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that the cooperation between Russia and Iran is expanding even as the region is in major flux, as he welcomed Moscow's solidarity and support to Tehran amid uncertainty over the second round of peace talks with the US.

Araghchi, who met Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Monday, said he was "pleased to engage" with Russia at the highest level as the region is in major flux.

"Recent events have evidenced the depth and strength of our strategic partnership. As our relationship continues to grow, we are grateful for solidarity and welcome Russia's support for diplomacy," he said in a post on X.

During the meeting, Putin hailed the Iranian people for fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty and said Moscow is ready to do its best to help bring peace to West Asia as soon as possible.

"We will do everything that meets your interests and the interests of all peoples in the region in order to ensure that this peace is achieved as quickly as possible," Putin told Araghchi, according to the Kremlin.

Regardless of everything that is happening, Iran-Russia relations will continue to grow stronger, Araghchi told Putin, according to the Kremlin.

"It has also been proven to everyone that Iran has friends and allies, such as the Russian Federation, who stand by Iran in difficult times. We are grateful to you for your firm and strong positions in support of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said.

According to Russian media, Araghchi's meeting with President Putin lasted nearly two hours.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who attended the meeting, described it as "constructive and practical".

The Iranian minister arrived in Russia after a whirlwind trip to Islamabad, which, according to him, was "very productive" and involved "good consultations" with Pakistan's Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.

Talking to Russian media, Araghchi said that the United States failed to achieve any of its objectives in its recent war against Iran.

Replying to a question about US President Donald Trump's claim of victory, Araghchi said that Iran had stood firm against one of the world's major powers, and none of Washington's stated goals was met, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"That is why they have requested negotiations, and Iranians are evaluating the matter," he told reporters.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday said that Russia is "ready to provide any good offices, any mediation services that are acceptable to the parties."

"We will be ready to do everything so that ultimately peace ensues, guaranteed peace, and that there is no return to hostilities," Peskov was quoted as saying by TASS.

The first round of peace talks between Iran and the US, held on April 11 and 12, failed to bring the desired result for the parties to the conflict.

The Iranian minister travelled to Islamabad for the second time on Sunday after a brief visit to Oman, where he held talks with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said on security in the Strait of Hormuz and diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US war.

After Araghchi left Pakistan for Oman on Saturday, President Trump announced that US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would no longer be going to Islamabad for talks with Iran, contending that Washington held all the cards on the matter.

Trump on Sunday reiterated that the US and Iranian officials can talk by phone for a peace solution to the conflict.

Last Tuesday, Trump extended the two-week ceasefire with Iran indefinitely to give Tehran more time to prepare a unified proposal to end the war, just hours before the truce was set to expire.

The war began when the US and Israel jointly attacked Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several top commanders. The retaliation by the Islamic Republic extended the war to the entire Gulf region.