Russian President Vladimir Putin has discussed Iran’s nuclear programme with the visiting leader of Oman, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, the Kremlin has said, as the diplomatic shuttling around the edges of Iran-US nuclear talks continues apace.
Oman has been mediating between Iran and the United States as US President Donald Trump seeks an agreement that would curb Iran’s nuclear programme, which Washington believes is aimed at developing a nuclear weapon – something that Iran denies.
“This topic was touched on … in the context of mediation efforts by Oman,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a briefing at the Kremlin on Tuesday.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov also said both sides “discussed the progress of negotiations between Iranian and American representatives”, according to remarks carried by Interfax.
“We will see what the result will be. We maintain close contact with our Iranian colleagues. Where we can, we help,” Ushakov was quoted as saying.
Trump has threatened to bomb Iran unless a deal is reached. Iran has said there can be no deal under threat of bombardment.
Russia signed a strategic partnership treaty with Iran in January and is also trying to improve relations with the Trump administration.
Moscow has a role in nuclear talks with Iran as a signatory to a previous landmark 2015 nuclear deal that Trump abandoned during his first term as US president in 2018 – a move that prompted Iran to breach its terms a year later.
Russia has warned that any US military action against Iran would be illegal.
In televised comments, Putin was shown telling the sultan that Russian energy companies were interested in developing relations with Oman.
Meanwhile, Putin announced plans to stage a summit with the Arab League group of states later this year as Moscow searches for new partners as it continues its three-year offensive on Ukraine.
Slapped with sweeping Western sanctions after sending troops into Ukraine, Russia has turned towards Asian, African and Arab countries for political and economic ties.
“We plan to hold a summit between Russia and Arab countries this year,” Putin told the Omani leader.
“Many of our friends in the Arab world support this idea,” he added, inviting Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said to the summit, without specifying the date and location.
The visit comes days after Putin hosted Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Moscow for talks on Syria and the besieged and bombarded Gaza Strip. Doha is a key mediator between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.
The Gulf states are gaining ever-growing diplomatic influence as mediators in negotiations to resolve the world’s most pressing crises, which have claimed thousands of lives, such as the conflict in Ukraine and Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.
A third round of negotiations between Tehran and Washington is scheduled to take place in Oman on Saturday.
Ahead of the visit, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is set to visit China on April 23 at the invitation of Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday.
The two sides will discuss bilateral relations and international and regional hot-spot issues of common concern, ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular press conference.
The visit is believed to have great significance for deepening political mutual trust between the two countries, Guo told reporters.
Araghchi previously visited China, which was a signatory to the since-abandoned 2015 agreement brokered by world powers that both reined in Tehran’s nuclear programme and provided it with substantial financial relief, in December.
During a trip to Moscow last week, Araghchi told state TV that Tehran always closely consults with its friends, Russia and China, over nuclear issues.