Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Russian strongman Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday. Putin condemned the ongoing campaign against Iran’s illicit nuclear program as an “unprovoked aggression” by Israel and America.
Araghchi began his travels to Russia on Sunday, telling reports that his conversations with Putin would be “crucial” to help Tehran plan a response to an attack on its nuclear enrichment facilities by the United States this weekend.
“Given the current exceptional circumstances in the region, it is essential that Iran and Russia engage in closer, more precise, and more serious consultations,” Araghchi told reporters on Sunday, according to the Iranian state propaganda outlet PressTV. “Naturally, our talks this time will be more serious and cover broader dimensions.”
“We will have important and serious discussions with President Putin, and I am confident that the outcomes will benefit both countries,” he emphasized. In other remarks Araghchi noted that Russia was a “friendly country to Iran” and had participated in conversations with Iran throughout the year related to talks with the United States. The foreign minister added that Russia was of particular value as an ally to Iran because it is “a permanent member of the UN Security Council, and we are aware that together with China, they are working on a resolution to prevent hostile actions.”
Putin appeared on Russian television alongside Araghchi, expressing support for the Russian regime’s longtime Middle East partner.
“I am very glad that you are in Moscow today, this will give us the opportunity to discuss all these pressing issues and think together about how we could get out of today’s situation,” Putin told the Iranian foreign minister, according to Reuters.
Putin reportedly described American attacks on three Iranian nuclear facilities as “unprovoked aggression” and declared the actions have “no basis and no justification.”
Araghchi praised Putin as being “on the right side of history” for his support.
The Russian news agency Tass added that Putin acknowledged the “dramatic moment of sharp aggravation of the situation in the region and around your country.”
“It is clearly stated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on behalf of Russia. You know the positions we have taken both in the Security Council and the United Nations,” Putin reportedly said. Tass did not indicate that Putin restated those positions.
Putin’s top spokesman Dmitry Peskov did reiterate “deep regret” about the attacks that Iran has faced in the past two weeks from Israel and America, adding concern that attacks on nuclear facilities could create a “radiation hazard.” At press time, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not reported any indication of increased radiation levels near the targets, however.
Peskov told reporters that Russia is willing to help the Iranian Islamist regime, but “it all depends on what Iran needs.”
“We have offered our mediation efforts. This is concrete. We have stated our position, which is also a very important form of support for the Iranian side. Going forward, everything will depend on what Iran needs at this moment,” he explained.
Peskov has not offered any indication that Russia, which maintains friendly relations with Israel, is contemplating taking on a military role in the ongoing conflict.
President Donald Trump announced on Saturday night that the U.S. military had taken action to contain Iran’s illicit nuclear development. American forces specifically targeted three uranium enrichment sites — in Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz — reportedly severely damaging them. The Iranian government has dramatically escalated its uranium enrichment activities in the past decade following the adoption of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal brokered by former President Barack Obama in 2015.
“Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success,” Trump declared on Saturday. “Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.”
“Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace,” Trump warned. “If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier.”
Prior to those strikes, the United States had engaged in five rounds of negotiations with Iranian officials, led by Araghchi, in pursuit of a replacement for the JCPOA. President Trump withdrew from that agreement in 2018 in response to Iran regularly violating it, and the remaining countries signing onto it have largely failed to implement it. The head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, lamented last year that the JCPOA “exists only on paper and means nothing.”
The Iran-U.S. talks had achieved no progress as Iranian officials insisted they would under no circumstances halt their enrichment activities, happening at a volume far beyond what is necessary for civilian energy production.
Trump’s strikes followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing “Operation Rising Lion” on June 13, a military action intended to degrade Iran’s enrichment capabilities and diminish the threat of a direct attack on Israel. Operation Rising Lion began with airstrikes targeting some of Iran’s most powerful military leaders, including the head of the terrorist Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp, Major General Hossein Salami. Israel has maintained continuous attacks on Iran since, degrading Iran’s ability to launch missiles and coordinate attacks. The Iranian government has responded to Israel with a barrage of attacks on population centers, targeting civilians.
