Mediation in the Nuclear Case; Moscow Claims to Have Negotiated with Iran's Ambassador

The Russian Foreign Ministry states that a senior diplomat from the country has discussed Iran's nuclear program with the Islamic Republic's ambassador in Moscow. On Friday, March 8, it announced that Sergey Ryabkov, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, met with Kazem Jalali, the Iranian ambassador in Moscow, to discuss 'international efforts to resolve the situation regarding Iran's nuclear program.' This meeting took place on Thursday, and the Russian Foreign Ministry did not provide further details, but the Kremlin had announced on Wednesday that upcoming talks between Russia and the United States would include discussions about Iran's nuclear program, a topic that was mentioned in the first round of US-Russia negotiations last month. Bloomberg also reported on March 5 that Moscow had agreed to assist the Trump administration in establishing communication with Tehran to negotiate issues such as the nuclear program and the Islamic Republic's support for its proxy groups in the Middle East. The day after this report, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, stated that the next round of negotiations between Russia and the US would also include Iran's nuclear program, and from Russia's perspective, resolving all existing issues surrounding Iran's nuclear program through political-diplomatic means is 'the best solution.' Bloomberg: Putin has agreed to assist Trump in establishing communication with Iran. In its report, Bloomberg cited informed sources stating that Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, shared details of negotiations with his American counterpart in Saudi Arabia with Abbas Araghchi during his recent visit to Tehran. Negotiations between high-level delegations from Washington and Moscow on February 19 in Riyadh were primarily aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, but Bloomberg noted that the foreign ministers of the US and Russia also discussed Iran. Although the Iranian Foreign Minister claimed afterward that the Russian Foreign Minister had no message for Iran, reports about Moscow's mediation for negotiations between Iran and the US emerged in Iran following the Bloomberg report. Ali Qalehki, a media figure close to the principlists, claimed on Thursday in a post on X that Sergey Lavrov had suggested to Iran to resolve its issues with the US 'through Russia.' He also quoted the Russian Foreign Minister as saying, 'Iran must be ready to make serious concessions to the Americans - like Ukraine - for problems to be resolved.' Officials and institutions of the Islamic Republic have not yet confirmed or denied this media figure's claims. On the other hand, Ahmad Zeidabadi, an analyst and journalist close to reformists, noted in a commentary that Russia's main goal in mediating between the US and Iran is 'to prevent war and military confrontation between the US and Israel on one side and Iran on the other.' He added that 'it is clear that achieving such a goal is only possible through very painful concessions from Tehran.' Mr. Zeidabadi also reminded that if Tehran 'rejects the Russians,' this action will have 'many consequences.' While officials and institutions of the Islamic Republic have neither confirmed nor denied claims about Russia's efforts to establish communication between Tehran and Washington, some journalists and analysts have expressed skepticism about Russia's potential role in the relationship between Iran and the US. Some of these individuals on social media have even linked the sidelining of Javad Zarif from the strategic vice presidency to Russia's request. Mr. Zarif announced on March 8, less than a week after the Russian Foreign Minister's visit to Tehran, that after meeting with the head of the judiciary and 'at his recommendation,' he resigned from his position as the strategic deputy of Masoud Pezeshkian. In an interview that was leaked in May 2021, Zarif accused Moscow of seeking to 'destroy the achievements of the Foreign Ministry' of Iran after the signing of the nuclear agreement with world powers known as the JCPOA. He also stated in November 2023, following revelations about the supply of Iranian drones to Russia, that the Islamic Republic had been 'outsmarted' by that country in this matter. Iranian officials deny sending drones to Russia 'for use in the war against Ukraine,' but multiple pieces of evidence regarding this action have led the European Union and the former US administration to impose sanctions on Iran over the past two years. Nevertheless, after the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has increased cooperation with Iran, and the two countries signed a long-term economic and defense cooperation agreement about two months ago.