Can Russia broker a new US-Iran deal?

This week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov travelled to Iran, wherever helium met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and respective different officials. The sojourn came connected the process of 2 meetings betwixt Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin connected October 8 and September 1.

Media reports person indicated that Moscow has offered to mediate betwixt Washington and Tehran successful talks connected a imaginable atomic deal. Whether these efforts volition beryllium palmy is excessively aboriginal to judge, but determination are respective factors that could marque Russia a perchance much effectual mediator than others.

As a large atomic powerfulness and with state-owned atomic vigor elephantine Rosatom being a person successful the world’s civilian atomic vigor field, Russia is eminently competent successful each aspects of the Iranian atomic programme.

Moscow’s wide cognition towards that programme has been clear. It supports Iranian ambition to person home atomic vigor generation; it is presently gathering 2 caller units of the atomic powerfulness works successful Bushehr. But it opposes Iranian improvement oregon acquisition of atomic weapons. It surely doesn’t privation atomic proliferation truthful adjacent to its borders.

Furthermore, Russia’s relations with Iran, agelong testy, person markedly improved recently. One of the reasons for the increasing spot betwixt the 2 countries has been that some person been attacked by the United States: straight successful the lawsuit of Iran and indirectly, successful a proxy warfare fashion, successful the lawsuit of Russia.

In 2022, Washington openly acceptable the extremity of “inflicting a strategical decision connected Russia”. Then, Iran came to Russia’s assistance and transferred to Russia its Shahed drone technology.

In aboriginal 2025, the 2 countries signed the Treaty connected Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which outlined the parameters of expanding economic, governmental and subject cooperation. It is important to enactment that the Russians projected a communal subject assistance clause to see successful the treaty, but the Iranians demurred.

Thus the disapproval that Moscow supposedly failed to travel to Tehran’s defence successful the 12-day warfare of 2025 and successful the ongoing subject struggle is ill-informed. Russia has stood by Iran and has repaid its debt.

Helping the US scope a caller atomic woody with Iran would beryllium intelligibly successful Russia’s interest. Although Russia sees Iran arsenic the existent victor due to the fact that of its stunning resilience successful the look of the US-Israeli attacks, it besides realises the enormity of the harm inflicted connected its partner. Russia hopes that bid would unlock its large logistical project, the International North-South Transport Corridor to India, which passes done Iran.

Moscow besides sees the Arab Gulf monarchies arsenic important and utile allies and doesn’t privation to jeopardise relations with them due to the fact that of Iran’s retaliatory strikes against their territories. Even if Russia has gained financially owed to the surge successful lipid prices arsenic a effect of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, these gains are of abbreviated duration. The continuing blockade is not successful its interest.

Moscow is besides successful a beardown presumption to mediate with Iran due to the fact that it was portion of the eight-party talks that led to the 2015 signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) addressing Iran’s atomic programme.

Of those eight, the US withdrew portion France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the European Union mislaid their lasting successful some Washington and Tehran due to the fact that of their actions.

This fundamentally leaves US President Donald Trump with Russia and China. Russia, for its part, has already stepped up mediation efforts. This month, Putin reportedly delivered an Iranian connection by telephone to Trump. In parallel, determination is heightened US diplomatic enactment to bring an extremity to the warfare successful Ukraine, wherever Trump for the archetypal clip is applying unit connected Kiev.

Meanwhile, the US president has mentioned that an unprecedented trilateral gathering with Putin and Chinese person Xi Jinping during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation acme successful Shenzhen adjacent period would marque consciousness if it were focused connected denuclearisation.

It is important to retrieve that the crises successful Eurasia – from Ukraine to Iran and Taiwan – are intrinsically linked due to the fact that they impact the main geopolitical and subject players of today’s world: the US, China and Russia.

The information that for the archetypal clip ever the leaders of these 3 countries are discussing the anticipation of a trilateral gathering is much than conscionable a taxable for pundits to mull connected air.

This whitethorn not beryllium the dawn of a caller satellite order, but it could beryllium a tiny measurement to equilibrium wars with diplomacy.

The views expressed successful this nonfiction are the author’s ain and bash not needfully bespeak Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.