Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in St. Petersburg early Monday to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin as talks with the United States stalled.
Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported on Telegram that Araghchi “arrived early on Monday morning with the aim of meeting and holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.” Russia’s TASS news agency separately confirmed the planned meeting, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Araghchi’s visit is traveling to several world capitals after returning to Islamabad on Sunday.
“The trip to Islamabad was a very good one, and good consultations were held, during which we examined under what conditions negotiations between Iran and the US could continue,” Araghchi said. “Iran’s conditions are of great importance in the negotiations. We must guarantee the rights of the Iranian people after 40 days of resistance and the interests of the country.”
According to a report by Axios, Iran conveyed a new proposal to the United States through Pakistani mediators aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the war, while postponing nuclear negotiations to a later stage. The report cited a US official and two sources with knowledge of the matter.
Axios also reported that Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was dismissed from his position as top negotiator for focusing on the nuclear issue during previous talks with Washington. Iranian state media denied those claims.
Disagreements over the Strait of Hormuz and the US naval blockade led to a breakdown in talks between the two countries. Washington demanded that Tehran unblock the Strait of Hormuz, a route through which 20% of the world’s oil and gas is transported. Iran has refused to do so unless the United States ends its naval blockade.