Iran Top Diplomat in Russia as US Talks in Limbo

(Update) April 27, 2026, 1:40 PM GMT: Article updated throughout.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Russia on Monday for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin, as talks with the US on ending an eight-week war remain at an impasse.

Araghchi said he needed to coordinate with Russian officials after the US-Israeli military campaign against the Islamic Republic disrupted bilateral meetings, according to a statement posted on the foreign ministry's Telegram channel.

The Russia trip comes after an Axios report that said Tehran has signaled it might accept an interim deal whereby it reopens the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for Washington ending its blockade of Iranian ports.

Iranian media said Sunday that Araghchi would convey to Pakistan, the main mediator between the warring sides, that the conflict could end if the Americans lift their naval blockade, agree to a new legal framework for traffic going through the strait and guarantee there will be no future military action against the Islamic Republic.

Iran told Pakistan that negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program - a longer-standing issue - could be dealt with later, Axios reported, citing a US official and two people with knowledge of the matter.

The US hasn't commented on Iran's idea, though US President Donald Trump acknowledged a new plan from Tehran on Saturday. A White House spokesperson said in a statement to Bloomberg that "the United States holds the cards and will only make a deal that puts the American people first, never allowing Iran to have a nuclear weapon."

An interim deal would echo what many Middle East analysts have said for weeks - that the US and Iran should reopen the strait as soon as possible to lower fuel prices and ease pressure on the global economy, while leaving issues such as Iran’s nuclear program for later talks. Some Persian Gulf Arab and European leaders believe that such negotiations will take at least six months, Bloomberg has reported.

Trump, however, has indicated that Iran's atomic program must be resolved as part of any agreement and that the blockade will stay in place until then. The White House has said the blockade is putting pressure on Iran to make concessions by choking off its oil exports.

Oil Prices Rise

Oil rose further on Monday, with the Hormuz strait remaining largely impassable. Brent climbed 2.4 percent to $107.84 a barrel by 11:10 a.m. in London.

Analysts at Goldman Sachs Group Inc. upgraded their fourth quarter forecast for Brent crude to $90 a barrel from $80 per barrel, saying they now see a "normalization" of crude exports from the Persian Gulf by the end of June, versus mid-May previously.

Here is more on the US-Iran talks:

• "We must ensure the rights of the Iranian people after 40 days of resistance and secure the country's interests," Iran's Araghchi said on Monday, according to state-run Islamic Republic News Agency.
• "There is a high degree of alignment between Iran and Oman" on the future of the strait, Araghchi said, according to IRNA.
• Iran has previously said it wants to toll traffic moving through Hormuz and share the revenue with Oman, which sits across the strait.
• Efforts to resume in-person peace talks stumbled again on Friday when Trump canceled a trip to Pakistan by Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, two of his main envoys. That was after Araghchi signaled he would not meet American negotiators while there and the Iranian government reiterated it will not agree to more talks while facing military threats from the US.
• Israel's preferred option would be for the US to maintain the blockade on Hormuz and for the allies to use the time to prepare for any resumption of hostilities, according to an Israeli official familiar with the government’s discussions, who asked not to be identified by name because the matter is private.
• Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Sunday killed 14 people, Lebanese state media reported, citing the country's health ministry. The victims include two children. Trump said Lebanon and Israel, which has waged a conflict against Iran-backed Hezbollah, agreed to extend a ceasefire by three weeks until around mid-May. Yet both Israel and Hezbollah continue to accuse each other of attacks that violate the truce terms.
• In a statement on Monday, Hezbollah's Secretary-General Naim Qasem rejected the Lebanese government’s direct negotiations with Israel. The group, Qasem said, would not back down against Israel or relinquish its weapons.