Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov met Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, and President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran on Monday 19 October and blamed the war on "unprovoked U.S.-Israeli aggression". Araghchi wrote afterwards: "Never in our history have Iran and Russia worked as closely as now"1. Ten days earlier a Western official told Bloomberg that Moscow was supplying Iran with missiles, which the White House rejected.
Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, arrived on Tuesday 20 October. Pakistan is one of two channels, with Qatar, that carry Iran's indirect contacts with Washington. Pezeshkian told him that "before any negotiations, they must first end the pressure and threats and lift sanctions", Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) reported2. Mohsen Rezaei, a former commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, wrote that "not a single gram of enriched uranium will be removed from Iran".
On 17 October Tehran's stated condition was credible guarantees against new attacks; sanctions relief before any talks now sits on top of it. On 21 October Araghchi said the indirect talks continue on Iran's September seven-day plan for reopening Hormuz, with Washington seeking extra clauses: "The negotiating table remains in place."
The same day as Lavrov's visit, Tehran summoned Ireland's ambassador, Aidan Cronin, over a European Union statement criticising its crackdown and its Hormuz threats3.
