Russia better positioned as messenger than mediator in Iran-US standoff
By Delaram Ahmadi
Staff writer
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States in Turkmenistan, with the Middle East’s worsening crisis among the issues discussed by the two leaders. The Iranian and Russian presidents had previously met in September on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. But what significance do such meetings have amid the deadlock between Iran and the United States? Ahmad Rashidinejad, a geopolitics researcher, told Iran Daily that such meetings do not lead to immediate progress on the nuclear issue, but Moscow can serve as a messenger, open up room for back-channel consultations and influence Tehran’s calculations.
IRAN DAILY: Given the deadlock in Iran-US negotiations and the growing risk of tensions, what significance does the upcoming meeting between the Iranian and Russian presidents in Turkmenistan carry? Can the meeting be expected to help create new avenues for easing tensions?
RASHIDINEJAD: The meeting is important under the current circumstances, but expectations should be kept realistic. Its timing is significant: precisely as Iran-US negotiations have stalled and concerns are growing about a possible escalation, holding a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the CIS summit shows that Tehran and Moscow want to keep their communication channel active at the highest level.
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