Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrives in Tehran on Monday, in his first visit since the outbreak of war in the Middle East, while Moscow seeks to play the role of mediator to end the conflict.
Late Sunday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei announced the date of the visit, saying in a statement that the two sides would discuss “regional and international developments.”
Lavrov, who is scheduled to meet his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, on Sunday, said that Moscow's efforts "aim to prevent the return of a large-scale war," in light of the faltering talks between Tehran and Washington.
Lavrov's last visit to Iran dates back to February 2025.
Russian President Vladimir Putin informed his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, in early October, of Moscow's readiness to contribute to mediation efforts.
In late September, Lavrov announced before the United Nations General Assembly his country's readiness to work to achieve stability in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf region.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that Lavrov's discussions in Tehran will focus on "ways to resolve the dangerous international crisis sparked by the illegal aggression of the United States and Israel against Iran."
She added that the war dealt a blow to stability and security “not only in the Near and Middle East, but also globally.”
Russia and Iran have close relations, with their military and economic cooperation escalating since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The war broke out in February with an American-Israeli attack on Iran.
Washington and Tehran concluded a memorandum of understanding in June with Pakistani mediation, before it collapsed in July, with the resumption of Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and the United States responded with military strikes on Iran.
Tehran obstructs navigation in the strait, which is vital for energy supplies, and targets ships that attempt to cross it without its permission.
Washington responded by imposing a blockade on Iranian ports, while its naval vessels accompanied an increasing number of oil tankers crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
Israeli police said on Monday that they had arrested eight suspects as part of an investigation into violent incidents that occurred in the West Bank at the end of last week and the beginning of this week, including attacks on American photojournalist Heidi Levin and European diplomats in two separate incidents.
According to Reuters, the police did not identify the suspects.
The police did not reveal the identity of the suspects who were transferred to detention centers for investigation, nor did they clarify the charges against them. The police said that investigations are still ongoing, according to Reuters.
Prosecuting settlers is a rare occurrence in Israel.
Israeli radio reported that the suspects are Israeli, and that the Internal Security Agency (Shin Bet) is participating in the investigation.
On Friday, masked Israeli settlers were photographed assaulting Heidi Levin, a photojournalist for the Washington Post, who was covering the Palestinian olive harvest. European diplomats and a French mayor were attacked on Saturday by settlers in another incident.
The Washington Post reported that dozens of masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villagers who were picking olives near the village of Abu Falah on Friday. The newspaper said that the settlers set fire to olive groves and threw stones at farmers.
She added that Levine was injured in the attack despite wearing a protective vest with the word “press” clearly marked on the front and back, noting that the American photographer was thrown to the ground and subjected to continuous kicks, and her phone and cameras were seized.
The newspaper also reported that Levine was treated in hospitals in Ramallah and Israel for wounds throughout her body, a broken rib, and four fractures in the vertebrae.
She said Levine needed surgery on her hand after her finger suffered a cut, exposing the bone.
This year, US President Donald Trump expressed his opposition to expanding settlements, but his administration did not exert significant pressure on the right-wing, pro-settlement government of Benjamin Netanyahu to change its policy.
United Nations bodies and most countries in the world consider the settlements illegal under international law, but Israel rejects this and views the lands in question as “disputed” and not “occupied.”
While Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and the Israeli army held "Israeli rioters" responsible for the attack on the diplomats, Netanyahu took a more conservative stance. He said that the diplomats entered “a sensitive area that had witnessed previous confrontations, without prior coordination with the Israeli army,” adding that the circumstances of the attack on Levin were “unclear.”
The West Bank includes about 500,000 settlers and at least three million Palestinians.
The Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din reported that settler attacks on Palestinians are witnessing a significant increase, with at least 170 attacks recorded since September 27. Journalists, activists, and foreign observers were also subjected to these attacks. However, Israeli settlers are rarely prosecuted.
