Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi Meets Putin in Moscow as U.S.-Iran Peace Talks Remain Stalled

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in St. Petersburg on Monday for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the latest stop on a diplomatic tour that also included Pakistan and Oman. Araghchi described the visit as "a good opportunity to consult with our Russian colleagues regarding developments related to the war," according to Iranian state media. Putin expressed support for Iran during the meeting, telling TASS: "We see how courageously and heroically the Iranian people are fighting for their independence, for their sovereignty." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said ahead of the meeting that "the importance of this conversation is difficult to overestimate."

The Moscow meeting followed a weekend in which U.S.-Iran talks broke down for the second time. Trump canceled a planned trip by envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad shortly after Araghchi departed Pakistan on Saturday. Trump cited "infighting and confusion" within Iranian leadership and said the journey — described as an 18-hour flight — was not worthwhile without a clearer path to a deal. Before heading to Russia, Araghchi also stopped in Oman, where he said "some agreements have been reached" on the Strait of Hormuz; Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi described a "good discussion" but made no mention of signed agreements.

Iran put forward a new proposal, reported by Al Mayadeen and cited by Iran's Tasnim News Agency, under which Washington would first end the war and provide guarantees against its resumption before any discussion of the Strait of Hormuz or Iran's nuclear program. The White House said Trump planned to meet with top national security officials Monday to review the proposal and options going forward, including whether to resume the suspended U.S. bombing campaign. Press secretary Olivia Wales stated: "The United States holds the cards and will only make a deal that puts the American people first, never allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon."

Coverage diverged on the framing of the diplomatic impasse. CNN and NPR led with Araghchi's active diplomatic push — his tour of Pakistan, Oman, and Russia — and noted that Iran's parliamentary speaker publicly challenged Trump's assertion that the U.S. "holds the cards," with Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf posting an economic counter-argument on social media. The Washington Examiner framed the story around Araghchi traveling to Russia "to garner support from Putin," and noted Trump's pressure on Iran to "pick up the phone," emphasizing U.S. leverage and the expectation that Washington would not accept Iran's nuclear-delaying proposal.

The Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed to normal tanker traffic, with shipping data reviewed by marine intelligence firm Kpler showing only about 5% of the pre-war daily average transiting the waterway in recent months. Iran's proposal would defer nuclear talks until after any end to the war — a sequencing that, per the Washington Examiner, runs counter to one of Trump's stated primary objectives for the conflict. Meanwhile, Brent crude rose approximately 2.5% on Monday to nearly $108 a barrel, a three-week high. Goldman Sachs raised its fourth-quarter Brent forecast to $90 a barrel, up from $80, while U.S. gasoline prices edged up a penny to $4.11 a gallon, the fifth straight daily increase according to AAA.