Pakistan and Oman remain involved in backchannel efforts to prevent the United States and Israel from returning to war against Iran.
Published April 27, 2026
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin, as Iran steps up diplomatic efforts to end the US and Israel’s war against Iran.
Upon his arrival on Monday, Aragushi told Iranian media that he was in Russia “with the aim of continuing close consultations between Tehran and Moscow on regional and international issues.”
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The diplomat said the meeting with Putin “will be a good opportunity to discuss developments in the war and review the latest situation.”
“I am convinced that consultation and coordination between the two countries in this regard will be particularly important,” he added.
The visit follows earlier talks with Omani officials in Muscat as Iran seeks to rally regional and international support for renegotiations.
The United States and Iran agreed to a temporary ceasefire on April 8, after more than a month of fighting that began with attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran.
The Pakistan-brokered ceasefire has since been strained by disputes over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. Meanwhile, parallel conflicts involving Israel and Lebanon threaten to complicate negotiations.
Russia’s role in diplomacy
Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi, reporting from Tehran, said Russia is likely to play a central role in the next phase of the conflict. “We have a scenario of a diplomatic solution and a scenario of confrontation,” Assadi said.
“Iran’s FM will likely be there to discuss both, as Russia will play an important role on both. We know that Iran has several demands and is trying to prioritize them based on the situation. One is obviously the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, the possibility of an extension of the ceasefire, or the possibility of a new conflict.”
The diplomatic move comes as US President Donald Trump on Saturday scrapped plans to send special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner to Pakistan’s capital Islamabad for talks with Iran, citing “tremendous infighting and turmoil” within Iran’s leadership.
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reiterated that Iran will not participate in negotiations while the blockade continues.
This comes after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that its military is continuing a blockade that prevents ships from entering and leaving Iranian territorial waters.
“The U.S. military ordered 38 ships to turn around or return to port,” Centcom reported on X.
Trump said Iran “offered a lot, but not enough,” but added on Sunday that if Iranian leaders wanted to restart talks, “they can come to us, they can call us.”
Araghchi previously described the talks in Islamabad as “very productive” and said they included a review of “certain conditions under which negotiations between Iran and the United States can continue.”
Al Jazeera’s Osama bin Jaid, reporting from Islamabad, said Pakistani officials remained hopeful that diplomacy could succeed.
“One diplomatic source said recent events have served as a catalyst for (reinforcing the view) that hostilities need to come to a permanent end,” he said.
“Here in Islamabad, we are told that we are moving steadily towards some kind of framework. That will be the backdrop for all these sides to come to an agreement, not only Iran and the United States, but also basically the Gulf states.”
