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Iran’s foreign minister met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday as US-Iran talks appear to be collapsing, threatening to widen the Strait of Hormuz – a critical global oil hub.
Abbas Araghchi arrived in Moscow to negotiate with Putin as efforts to end the conflict between Iran and Washington have stalled.
“We see how the Iranian people bravely and courageously fight for their independence, their sovereignty,” Putin said at a meeting in St.
“The importance of this discussion is difficult to overestimate in terms of how the situation in Iran and the Middle East is developing,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier.
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The visit comes days after Araghchi held talks with Pakistani negotiators, in which he said Iran had shared about ending the war but questioned whether the US was “really serious about talks.”
President Donald Trump has pushed back sharply from that interpretation, indicating that Washington believes it has a stake.
The meeting comes at a crucial time, as tensions at sea escalate and scrutiny grows over Russia’s role following reports that Moscow may have shared intelligence with Tehran during the conflict.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned in March that Russia “must not get involved” in the escalating war, as reports emerged that Moscow may be providing intelligence to Iran on US military positions in the region.
US officials say they are closely monitoring any potential intelligence sharing between Russia and Iran, while downplaying the confirmed operational impact. Still, the prospect of Russian support — be it intelligence, technology transfer or other assistance — has raised concerns that Moscow could indirectly influence the battlefield without exerting force.
Araghchi acknowledged that Russia is helping Iran in “many different ways,” though he did not publicly reveal the extent of that cooperation.
Russia has positioned itself as a potential mediator in the conflict, offering to help restore peace following US and Israeli strikes on Iran – actions Moscow has publicly condemned.
The Kremlin has also suggested keeping Iran’s enriched uranium as part of a possible effort to defuse tensions, although the US has yet to take up the offer.
The connection comes as ties between Moscow and Tehran have deepened in recent years. Iran last year finalized a 20-year cooperation agreement with Russia, building two more reactors at Iran’s Bushehr facility – the country’s only nuclear power plant.
At the same time, Iran has supported Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, providing Shahed drones used by Moscow in attacks against Ukraine.
The trip also follows diplomatic efforts over the weekend, when Araghchi met with Pakistani negotiators and said Iran shared its position on ending the war but doubted the US was “really serious about talks.”
President Donald Trump has pushed back sharply from that interpretation, indicating that Washington believes it has a stake.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attend a meeting at the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library in Saint Petersburg, Russia on April 27, 2026. (Dmitri Lovetsky/Pool via Reuters)
“If they want to talk, all they have to do is call,” Trump said over the weekend, adding that the US “holds all the cards.”
Trump also pointed to what he described as “great conflict and confusion” in Iran’s leadership, saying that Iran is under internal pressure as the conflict continues.
The president canceled a planned trip by special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner to Pakistan, where they were expected to participate in mediation talks with Iranian officials.
Trump said that the trip would have been a waste of time, and that there was no reason for American officials to take an 18-hour flight if the negotiations were still far away.
Both sides have since traded blows over the breakdown in talks, with Iran accusing the US of making “excessive demands,” and the Trump administration insisting that Tehran must return to talks on US terms.
Mediation efforts, including efforts by Pakistan, have failed to produce progress, as both sides have refused to compromise on key issues such as Iran’s nuclear program and control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi during a meeting at the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library in Saint Petersburg, Russia on April 27, 2026. (Dmitri Lovetsky/Pool via Reuters)
As diplomacy falters, the conflict has changed dramatically in the water.
The US has imposed a naval blockade against Iranian shipping, while Iran has restricted and sometimes threatened traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, causing a major conflict in one of the world’s most important energy corridors.
About one-fifth of the world’s oil flows through the narrow waterway, making disruptions there a direct threat to global markets.
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Oil prices have already risen as tensions rise and shipping declines amid uncertainty over whether the strait will remain fully open.
Iran has floated off-ramp, proposing to reopen the flow if the US lifts its sanctions and agrees to postpone nuclear talks – a framework the Trump administration has shown little willingness to accept.
At the same time, Iran’s connection to Moscow is reviving scrutiny of Russia’s role in the conflict.
An Iranian flag is planted in the rubble of a police station, damaged in airstrikes on March 3, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
Araghchi acknowledged that Russia is helping Iran in “many different ways,” though he did not publicly reveal the extent of that cooperation.
The meeting with Putin now shows that Iran may want to deepen that relationship as a basis for — or as an alternative to diplomatic — direct talks with Washington.
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As both sides are mined and the pressure is building at sea, the conflict is increasingly being defined in a three-way dynamic: the suspended negotiation, the escalation of the military risk in the Strait of Hormuz and the growing question of how willing Russia is to align itself with Iran.
Analysts warn that without progress, the standoff risks moving towards a wider conflict – with global economic consequences directly related to the end of the world’s most important oil transport route.
Fox News Digital reached out to Iran’s mission to the United Nations, the Russian embassy and the White House for comment.
