Moscow: Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei sent his foreign minister to Moscow on Thursday and wrote to President Vladimir Putin about the Kremlin’s nuclear negotiations with the United States that threatened to bomb the Islamic Republic.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran bombings and extended tariffs to a third country, buying Iranian oil if Tehran does not reach an agreement with Washington on its controversial nuclear program. The United States has moved other fighter jets to the region.
The Trump administration and Iran held talks in Oman last weekend, both of which described it as positive and constructive. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Wednesday that Iran’s enrichment rights are unnegotiable before the second round of negotiations will be held in Rome this weekend.
Russia, a long-time ally of Tehran, played a role in Iran’s nuclear negotiations with the West, as a member of the vetoed UN Security Council, was the signator of the earlier nuclear deal that Trump abandoned in his first term in 2018.
“As for the nuclear issue, we always have close consultations with our friends China and Russia. Now, it is a great opportunity to do so with Russian officials.”
Putin’s letter
He said he was sending a letter to Putin that addressed regional and bilateral issues. Putin later accepted Araqchi in the Kremlin.
Western powers say Iran is highly fission uranium purity, exceeding the rationality of civilian nuclear energy plans and close to a suitable level for atomic bombs. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and says it has the right to obtain a civilian nuclear program.
Moscow purchased Iranian weapons for the Ukrainian war and signed a 20-year strategic partnership agreement with Tehran earlier this year, although it does not include common defense clauses. The two countries were Syria’s battlefield allies for many years until their ally, Bashar al-Assad, was overthrown in December.
Putin has always maintained good relations with Khamenei, as both Russia and Iran are played by the West, but Moscow is eager to not trigger the nuclear weapons race in the Middle East.
Russia said any military strike against Iran is illegal and unacceptable. The Kremlin declined to comment on Tuesday when asked whether Russia is ready to control Iran’s wealthy uranium stockpile, as part of a possible future nuclear deal between Iran and the United States.
