Lavrov visits Tehran for talks on the war on Iran, Hormuz shipping and the Russia-Iran partnership treaty
20 October 2026
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov travelled to Tehran on 19 October 2026, his first visit to Iran since February 2025, and met Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and President Masoud Pezeshkian. The visit followed a stop in Bahrain on 18 October for a Russia-Gulf Cooperation Council strategic dialogue. The agenda covered the United States-Israeli war on Iran, which began on 28 February, regional security and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the return of Russian specialists to the Bushehr nuclear power plant, and Lavrov's proposal for a regional collective security architecture that he presented in Manama. Lavrov said Russia is committed to the twenty-year Russia-Iran strategic partnership agreement, which officially took effect on 2 October. At a joint news conference Araghchi said the region's problems have no military solution, blamed the United States for insecurity in the Strait of Hormuz and said Iran welcomes any initiative that leads to security from within without the presence of foreign forces.
In plain words
GCC Gulf Cooperation Council — A grouping of Arab states of the Persian Gulf that cooperate on economic and security matters.
Bushehr Bushehr nuclear power plant — Iran's first nuclear power station, built with Russian help on the Gulf coast.