Iran’s foreign minister visits Russia as US talks stall

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, arrived in Russia on Monday for talks with President Vladimir Putin amid diplomatic efforts to end the war.

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This trip follows his visit to Islamabad and Oman, and his insistence on not holding talks with the US amid its naval blockade.

The Iranian ambassador to Moscow, Kazem Jalali, disclosed in a post on X that the countries are presenting a united front in the “campaign of the world’s totalitarian forces against independent and justice-seeking countries.”

He said the campaign is also against countries that “seek a world free from unilateralism and Western domination.”

Mr Kazem noted that the meeting, a “diplomatic Jihad,” will focus on coordinating interactions and advancing joint programmes at the regional and international levels.

Meanwhile, mediators’ hope of reviving direct talks receded on Saturday after President Donald Trump cancelled the US envoy’s trip to Pakistan shortly after the Iranian delegation, already present, departed the country.

However, indirect talks appear to be ongoing through mediators.

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Al Jazeera, quoting the Iranian Fars news agency, reports that Iran gave the Americans a list of “red lines” via mediator Pakistan.

It was a “written message” to the US “about some of the red lines of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including nuclear issues and the Strait of Hormuz”.

President Donald Trump, on the other hand, said Iranian leaders can call him over the telephone when they are willing to talk.

“If they want to talk, they can come to us, or they can call us. You know, there is a telephone. We have nice, secure lines.

“They know what has to be agreed. It’s very simple: They cannot have a nuclear weapon; otherwise, there’s no reason to meet,” Mr Trump told “The Sunday Briefing” on Fox News.

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Due to the tension between the countries, oil prices rose over the weekend.

Brent crude futures climbed $2.22, or 2.11 per cent, to $107.55 a barrel on Sunday.

Similarly, the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose by 2.14 per cent, to reach $96.42 a barrel.

The US also imposed sanctions on Hengli Petrochemical, one of China’s largest independent refiners, last week for allegedly buying Iranian oil, causing its shares to drop by 10 per cent.