Iran’s Foreign Minister to Chat with Russia About U.S. Nuclear Talks

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is packing his bags for Moscow to sit down with Russian officials and talk about recent nuclear discussions with the United States, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Monday. The trip comes right after a hopeful meeting in Oman, where Araqchi and U.S. representative Steve Witkoff, with Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi playing go-between, started figuring out how to move forward on Iran’s nuclear program.

The Oman talks went pretty well, but Iran says they were just about laying the groundwork for more serious chats later. They’ve got another meeting lined up in Muscat this Saturday, and Iran’s firm on keeping things indirect, no face-to-face with the U.S. for now. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei mentioned that Araqchi’s Moscow visit was already on the calendar, but it’s a perfect chance to catch Russia up on what happened in Oman. Russia’s a big ally for Iran and has a stake in the 2015 nuclear agreement, so it’s no surprise they’re in the loop.

Russia’s always had Iran’s back when it comes to peaceful nuclear energy and keeps pushing for everyone to talk things out. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, though, isn’t so sure about trusting the U.S., especially with President Donald Trump turning up the heat with tough sanctions. Those sanctions are hitting regular Iranians hard, and there’s some worry about things boiling over at home, which might be why Iran’s keeping the diplomatic door open.

On Wednesday, Rafael Grossi, the head of the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, is swinging by Tehran to sort out some lingering issues, which shows how much everyone wants to keep things moving. Iran says its nuclear work is all about power plants, not bombs, but the U.S. and countries like Israel are nervous it could go another way.

In Moscow, Araqchi will probably focus on syncing up with Russia, which isn’t happy about U.S. sanctions either. These talks could really shake things up for Iran, the U.S., and the whole region.