Iran-Russia relations: Can Putin help Tehran avoid another war?

One question hangs over Tehran. Can diplomacy still change the course of the standoff between the U.S. and Iran? So far, no one has an answer. As pressure mounts, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian is heading to Russia for a gas summit. With the potential for escalation in the region on the rise, Moscow thinks it can help slow the momentum towards war in Washington and Tel Aviv. Vladimir Putin has been on good terms with US President Donald Trump in recent weeks and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently made a trip to Tehran. Another diplomatic effort faces the same test. Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman, Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir and Turkish Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin came to Tehran on behalf of the Mecca Defense Pact. For Saudi Arabia, under attack from Yemen's Iran-aligned Ansarullah Houthis, containing this conflict is also a matter of its own security. But Tehran's red lines are clear. It says it will not discuss its nuclear program until the U.S. lifts sanctions, ends the war on all fronts, and releases Iranian funds frozen abroad. A senior U.S. official told Al Jazeera that Iran is a failed state, the Strait of Hormuz is open and the job will soon be finished. Yet, eight months into the war, that job is taking longer than expected, and diplomacy is repeating its failures. In April 2025, weeks before the first Israeli and U.S. war in Iran, the Saudi defense minister brought a message from King Salman to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Back then, diplomacy did not prevent the attacks. Today, the leadership is different. His son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, has stayed out of public view, leaving political and security officials to handle these exchanges. Last-minute messages conveyed by Russia between the U.S. and Iran can clarify red lines and offer a way to avoid escalation. But they can also carry final warnings. And Tehran sees Washington's demands as a call for surrender. Putin's challenge is to help find terms Iran can accept and the U.S. and Israel will honor. Ali Hashim, Al Jazeera.