Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, has arrived in Russia and met with President Putin. Araghchi blamed the United States for causing the failure of the negotiations, while Russia reaffirmed its support for Iran.
On 27 Apr 2026 GMT+7, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, arrived in Russia as part of an urgent diplomatic trip aimed at strengthening ties with various countries amid the ongoing Middle East conflict, while talks between Tehran and the Washington government appeared to be reaching a deadlock.
During his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg, Araghchi criticized the United States as the cause of the negotiations' collapse.
“The U.S. approach prevented previous rounds of negotiations from achieving their goals despite some progress, due to excessive demands,” Araghchi said on Monday, after having recently visited Oman and Pakistan in the past week.
President Putin stated that Moscow would do everything possible to help maintain peace in the Middle East. “On our part, we will do everything beneficial for you and for all the people in the region to achieve peace as soon as possible,” he said.
Additionally, the TASS news agency reported that Putin praised “the courage and heroism of the Iranian people fighting for their independence and sovereignty,” adding, “Russia shares Iran's intention to continue our strategic partnership.”
Earlier this month, talks between U.S. and Iranian representatives mediated by Pakistan failed. Araghchi’s recent visit to Islamabad had raised hopes for a second round of talks until U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the cancellation of sending representatives to Pakistan.
However, signs indicate that communication efforts through “secondary channels” continue. The Fars news agency reported that Iran sent a “written message” to the U.S. via Pakistan outlining a critical “deadline” involving nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz.
Nevertheless, Fars noted that these messages are not part of formal negotiations.
U.S. news website Axios reported on Sunday, citing U.S. officials and two other sources, that Iran had submitted a new proposal to end the war, emphasizing reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the U.S. naval blockade, while nuclear talks would be postponed for later discussions.
Iran’s government news agency IRNA reported on this development without denying the news.
,cna