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Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei sent his foreign minister to Moscow on Thursday with a letter for Russian President Vladimir Putin, outlining key points regarding nuclear negotiations with the US, Reuters reported. The move comes amid intensifying tensions between Tehran and Washington, with President Donald Trump having threatened military action against the Islamic Republic in case no deal is reached.
Trump has repeatedly issued threats of bombing Iran and imposing tariffs on countries that continue to purchase Iranian oil should Tehran fail to reach a resolution with Washington over its nuclear program. The US has also moved additional warplanes into the region as a show of force.
The US and Iranian officials held talks in Oman last week, which both sides described as “positive and constructive.” Ahead of the second round of talks scheduled for this weekend in Rome, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi reaffirmed the country’s stance on its nuclear program, reportedly saying Tehran’s right to enrich uranium is “not negotiable.”
“We always had close consultations with our friends China and Russia. Now it is a good opportunity to do so with Russian officials,” Araqchi said in an interview with Iranian state television, according to Reuters.
A Message to Putin
Araqchi, who met with Putin in the Kremlin after delivering the letter, reportedly said that the correspondence addressed both regional and bilateral issues. The letter comes as Iran seeks to maintain its nuclear rights while facing mounting pressure from the US and its allies.
Russia, a longstanding ally of Iran, has played a key role in the nuclear negotiations due to its status as a veto-wielding member of the U.N. Security Council and a signatory to the 2015 nuclear deal — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—which Trump unilaterally pulled out of in 2018.
Western powers have expressed concerns that Iran is enriching uranium to levels far beyond what would be necessary for a civilian nuclear energy program, warning that the country’s actions are inching closer to the threshold for developing a nuclear weapon. Iran, however, has consistently denied any intent to pursue nuclear weapons, asserting its right to a peaceful nuclear program.
Earlier this year, Russia and Iran signed a 20-year deal, though it did not include a mutual defense clause. Moscow has also procured weapons from Tehran, reports suggest.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin has suggested that any military strike against Iran would be “illegal and unacceptable.”
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