Iran Prepares Putin Visit as Trump Tours Arab Rivals

Tehran is preparing for a visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani told RIA Novosti—as U.S. President Donald Trump embarked on a high-profile tour of the Middle East.

The Kremlin has not confirmed the news reported by Russia’s state-owned media.

Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment.

Why It Matters

Iran’s announcement comes as Trump is visiting Saudi Arabia as part of his Middle East tour, a country that has emerged as a key mediator in diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war. As U.S.-Iran nuclear talks continue, Iran has sought Russia’s support to navigate Trump’s revived “maximum pressure” policy and military threats over nuclear tensions.

What To Know

Iran is preparing for a visit by the Russian president and is awaiting his arrival, Mohajerani told RIA Novosti.

In April, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi traveled to Moscow to deliver a written message from the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to Putin.

Earlier this year, Iran and Russia signed a comprehensive strategic joint agreement covering cooperation in counter-terrorism, peaceful nuclear energy, and security coordination at regional and global levels, while also stipulating that neither side will aid the aggressor if either country is attacked.

Mounting geopolitical pressures on both states reinvigorated the need to finalize the deal that had been in the works for years, especially as they lost a key ally following the ouster of Syria’s former President Bashar al-Assad, noted the Middle East Policy Council, a Washington D.C.-based think tank.

Putin visited Tehran in 2022, on his first official overseas trip since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

What People Are Saying

Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani told RIA Novosti, as quoted by Iran’s MEHR News Agency: “Putin’s trip to Tehran is currently being worked out, preparations are underway.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in April news conference with his Russian counterpart, as quoted by The Associated Press: “We are hopeful, and we expect Russia to continue its supportive role in any new agreement.”

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in April, as quoted by The Associated Press: “We are ready to help, mediate and play any role that, from Iran’s point of view, will be useful and that will be acceptable to the United States. We proceed from the fact that the only option for an agreement, as the minister just said, is an agreement exclusively on nuclear issues.”