The last time an Iranian foreign minister flew to Moscow under pressure from Washington, the visit accelerated a proxy conflict that lasted years. Abbas Araghchi's arrival in the Russian capital on 27 April 2026 carries similar weight. The Islamabad ceasefire process has effectively collapsed. The U.S. naval blockade is in its third week. And Iran is looking at the one external partner with both the will and the means to push back against American pressure.
Araghchi departed Islamabad on 26 April after the third round of Pakistan-mediated Iran-U.S. ceasefire talks failed to materialise. President Trump had canceled the U.S. delegation's trip the previous day, saying he refused to let Special Envoy Steve Witkoff make an "18-hour flight" for negotiations with an Iranian leadership he described as too chaotic to deal with. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei responded that "no meeting is planned to take place between Iran and the U.S." The exchange marked the de facto end of the Islamabad framework, at least for now.
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