Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Heads to Tehran Amid Strait of Hormuz Tensions

Lavrov’s Tehran visit

Lavrov is due to make his first trip to Iran since the United States and Israel launched strikes on the country on Feb. 28. He said the discussions would focus on preventing a return to large-scale war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Iran’s president in early October that Moscow was ready to help with mediation. The visit comes amid rising concern over shipping safety and regional hostilities.

Attacks and oil prices

The U.K. navy reported 10 attacks on commercial vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz last week. It said October had seen more attacks on shipping there than any month since the war began in March.

A British maritime monitoring agency said a tug boat near the strait was hit by two unidentified projectiles on Sunday. The vessel was damaged but continued its journey, and one person suffered a minor injury, the agency said.

Oil prices edged lower early Monday. Brent fell 2.5% to $107.16 a barrel, while U.S. benchmark crude declined 2.2% to $96.84; Brent had approached $110 on Friday, its highest level since mid-May.

U.S. warning and Iran’s terms

On Monday, the United States urged Americans across the Middle East to exercise heightened vigilance. Its alert said hostilities could escalate quickly and warned that Iran-backed groups might target U.S. interests or places connected to Americans.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz had not changed. He said Iran’s proposal for a limited ceasefire with the United States remained available.

Under the timeline Araghchi described, Iran would reopen the strait on the sixth day if its conditions were met, with negotiations starting the following day. The proposal calls for the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports to end and sanctions to be eased, among other concessions.

Fighting continues in Yemen

The Houthis and the Saudi-led military coalition exchanged strikes on Sunday as Yemen’s civil war intensified. The coalition backs Yemen’s internationally recognized government and has carried out repeated air raids in areas controlled by the Houthis.