Russia’s Special Presidential Envoy for Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, met on Tuesday with Ali Larijani, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), to discuss recent developments in Syria.
The visit came a day after Lavrentiev held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who described their meeting as part of ongoing coordination between Moscow and Tehran on Syrian affairs. Iranian state media noted Tuesday’s meeting with Larijani as part of a Russian-led mediation effort between the Syrian government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Iran — two sides that have lacked diplomatic relations since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad last December.
Some Iranian analysts suggested Lavrentiev may have carried a message from the Syrian government to the Iranian leadership, continuing Moscow’s mediation push. The timing of the visit follows al-Sharaa’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week, where Damascus reaffirmed that Russia would retain its military bases in Tartus and Khamenein and requested that Russian military police resume patrols in southern Syria to deter further Israeli incursions. The agreement ensured that Moscow would maintain its strategic footprint in Syria, even under the post-Assad government.
Since taking power last year, al-Sharaa’s administration — viewed as heavily influenced by Washington — has adhered to U.S. demands to limit Iranian influence and military presence in Syria. However, as Russia rebuilds ties with Damascus, the possibility of Moscow facilitating a gradual normalization between Tehran and the new Syrian government appears to be emerging.
Larijani’s meeting with Lavrentiev comes less than a week after he visited Moscow for the third time since the summer, where he delivered a message from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to President Putin. The flurry of diplomacy reflects the rapidly evolving alignment between Moscow and Tehran — and the potential for Russia to serve as the bridge in a tentative rapprochement between Tehran and Damascus.