Photo via aljazeera.com
Pezeshkian tells Putin Middle East can solve problems without US
Iran's president framed regional autonomy as key to settlement, signaling Iran-Russia coordination against US-led mediation efforts.
What happened
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that Middle Eastern countries are capable of resolving their problems without US involvement. The statement came during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the eighth Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit in Moscow, hosted by Russia.
Pezeshkian said that US actions in the region were driving countries toward greater multilateralism and cooperation with Russia and other nations under American sanctions. He emphasized that trade between Iran and Russia was expanding and expressed confidence that both countries could expand cooperation in science, industry, culture, security and military affairs.
The meeting took place amid a broader deepening of Iran-Russia ties. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Tehran on October 19, the first such visit since the Middle East war began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Moscow has offered to mediate between Washington and Tehran, though US-Iran direct talks remain stalled. Russia has provided intelligence support to Iran throughout the conflict while avoiding direct military involvement.
Putin said he discussed the ongoing regional situation with Pezeshkian, expressing hope it would improve. He has pledged to do everything in Moscow's power to help end the war, positioning Russia as a diplomatic intermediary seeking to prevent large-scale escalation.
Chanakya's Move
Pezeshkian's move signals that Iran is betting on Russia as its diplomatic champion and seeking to exclude the US from settlement terms. By framing regional autonomy as incompatible with US involvement, he is consolidating Iran-Russia alignment and testing whether Moscow can deliver leverage at the negotiating table that Washington lacks. Russia's counter-move is to position itself as the mediator that can bridge Washington and Tehran by offering a settlement framework that reduces US dominance over regional outcomes. The gamble for Iran is that Russia has sufficient credibility with the Trump administration to make such a framework credible; the gamble for Russia is that it can negotiate US acceptance without being seen as capitulating. The counter would be for Trump or his envoys to reject Moscow as intermediary and demand direct talks with Iran under terms that leave US security interests intact—or to accelerate military pressure to force Iran's hand before Russia can broker a deal.