What Did Rezaei Tell Putin About Iran’s Conditions?
Rezaei Takes Seven Conditions to Putin as Iran Holds Its Line on Hormuz
Mohsen Rezaei met Putin at the Kremlin on 5 November with a message from Khamenei and said Iran will not open Hormuz or negotiate until its seven conditions are met.
In this article
Context
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, met Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Thursday 5 November. Afterwards he told Iranian state television that Iran will neither open the Strait of Hormuz nor negotiate until the United States meets Iran’s seven conditions. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the meeting and gave no details. Rezaei is the only source for what Putin said.
Key takeaways
- Rezaei said he delivered a message from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, and Iranian state television did not disclose its contents.
- Rezaei said Hormuz and negotiations both wait on the seven conditions, a list Iranian officials have not published in full.
- Putin’s offer to help end the war is Rezaei’s account, and Peskov has not confirmed it.
- Donald Trump said on the same day that JD Vance was “largely true” when he blamed the Iran war for the midterm losses.
What Rezaei said after the Kremlin meeting
Iranian state media reported that Rezaei handed the message to Putin in person during an unannounced visit to Moscow. Peskov acknowledged the meeting. The Kremlin published no account of its own on Thursday, so for now Moscow’s side of the table is silent.
“Significant conversations took place regarding the post-war period and regional security arrangements,” Rezaei said. On the American track he was shorter: “we have announced seven conditions to the Americans.” Then came the limit. He said that as long as the United States does not carry them out, Iran will neither open the Strait of Hormuz nor negotiate.
On Putin, Rezaei told state television: “He said he was ready to cooperate in any way we can to help end the war.” He said Putin called the American and Israeli attacks on Iran unjust and backed regional security arrangements without outside powers. He also said Putin welcomed a recent four-country meeting in Tehran.
Rezaei said the two men discussed Iran’s gas shortage, including possible pipelines from Russia. Peskov did not comment on a pipeline, and no agreement was announced. Rezaei told state television that he and Putin had spoken by phone on Monday.
Analysis
What are Iran’s seven conditions?
Rezaei’s role in the security council is explained in Who Is Mohsen Rezaei?. Iranian officials have said nuclear talks will not begin until the American naval blockade of Iranian ports is lifted, and they have demanded sanctions relief and the release of frozen Iranian funds before the strait reopens. Rezaei has not published the complete list of seven, so a numbered list of seven would be a guess.
Rezaei’s sentence on Thursday ties reopening Hormuz and sitting down to talk to the same list. Washington has said Iran’s nuclear programme must be on the table from the start of any talks.
Analysis
Where Washington stood
Trump told reporters on Thursday that Vance’s assessment that the war cost Republicans the election was “largely true”, and pointed to higher gasoline prices. He said he would repeat the decision, because “Iran must not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.” Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf answered Vance, as set out in Why Did Trump Call Vance’s Iran War Blame Largely True?.
Trump says he would “do exactly the same thing” again. Rezaei says the blockade, sanctions and frozen funds come before any talks. Earlier reactions from Tehran, Moscow and Beijing to the American vote are in How Did Iran, Russia and China Answer the US Midterms?.
Five officials said Tehran is considering mediator proposals on its nuclear programme, which they called “concrete proposals”. A Qatari draft was reported to begin with three days of confidence-building steps and could restart direct talks within days. Rezaei did not mention Qatar in the remarks reported from Moscow.
Analysis
What the Moscow visit does and does not show
Rezaei said Putin offered to cooperate “in any way we can”, and the offer as he relayed it has no terms, no date and no named role. Peskov gave no details of what Moscow would do.
What to watch
A Kremlin readout of the 5 November talks would show whether Putin’s words match what Rezaei said. Iran has still to publish the seven conditions, and Trump has still to answer Rezaei’s sentence on Hormuz. For the strike question, see Will the US Strike Iran After the Midterms?.
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