Iran Ambassador: Larijani Traveled to Moscow Seven Times in a Year and a Half

The Islamic Republic’s ambassador to Russia said Ali Larijani has traveled to Russia at least seven times over the past year and a half, but only two of these trips were made public.

In an interview with KhabarOnline, Kazem Jalali, the Islamic Republic’s ambassador to Russia, said, “Except for two trips that became news, the rest of the visits were confidential.” He explained that Tehran and Moscow had jointly decided not to publicize the details of these trips. Without disclosing the subject of the negotiations or the objectives behind the visits, he confirmed that most of Larijani’s meetings were conducted away from the media spotlight.

According to the ambassador, one of the trips was made public at the specific request of the Russian side. He said: “The Russian side contacted me and expressed an interest in making the trip public, and Mr. Larijani did not object.” However, the January 30 trip to Moscow was initially not intended to be disclosed.

In another part of the interview, Jalali touched on the attention surrounding that specific trip, noting that while the aircraft carrying Larijani was in flight, thousands of people were tracking its route on Flightradar. He added: “By the time the plane landed in Moscow, the number of trackers had reached 34,000.” According to him, the spread of rumors on social media, including speculation about a trip by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic to Russia or the transfer of money to the country, was among the reasons behind the decision to publicize the visit. The Islamic Republic’s ambassador also confirmed that during the January 30 trip, Larijani met with Vladimir Putin, and that following the conclusion of the meeting, a brief news report about the encounter was published in coordination with the Russian side.