Foreign Affairs
State of the Union: Attacks in the Strait of Hormuz have soared in October.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Tehran Monday for talks on preventing escalation in the Middle East conflict, among other topics. Moscow has said it would be willing to mediate between Washington and Tehran.
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President Donald Trump said Sunday he struck a deal to import Russian diesel in part due to the limited nature of Moscow’s support for Iran during the war. “Perhaps more importantly, Russia is doing very little, if anything, to help the Islamic Republic of Iran, compared to what they could be doing, and I want to keep it that way, and will, unless stupid people get in the way,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Russia has provided Iran satellite intelligence for targeting U.S. forces and assets, according to news reports and expert analyses.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Sunday issued a blistering warning to Trump in reaction to the U.S. president’s threats. “Last time you wanted to “finish the job”, Iran emerged even stronger,” Araghchi wrote on X. “Want to try your luck again? Be our guest. But be careful; we have unfinished jobs too.” Araghchi said the same day that an Iranian proposal for a seven-day ceasefire and a gradual reopening of the Strait of Hormuz remained on the table.
Iran has escalated strikes on vessels around the waterway, with October becoming the worst month for such attacks since the war began. Brent crude prices hit a five-month high of $110 per barrel on Friday and were around $108 on Monday. In America, the average price of regular gasoline was $4.30 per gallon, up from $2.98 before the war.