Araghchi: Iran 'Reassessing Diplomacy' After Putin Meeting — Dismisses Trump's 'State of Collapse' Claim

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking from Saint Petersburg following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said on April 29, 2026 that Iran was 'reassessing how to proceed with diplomacy' in light of what he called Washington's 'destabilizing approach to negotiations' and continued US-Israeli military operations. Araghchi directly countered Trump's April 28 social media claim that Iran was in 'a State of Collapse,' insisting: 'the world has now realized Iran's true power' and that 'it has become clear that the Islamic Republic of Iran is a stable, solid and powerful system.' He cited the US rejection of Iran's Hormuz proposal and what he described as bad faith on the ceasefire terms as reasons for Iran's diplomatic reassessment. Putin had reiterated Russia's offer to mediate and called for an immediate ceasefire during the two leaders' meeting. Araghchi also said Iran's diplomatic tour through Islamabad, Muscat, and Moscow had built 'significant' international support for Tehran's position. Washington Post and Al Jazeera both covered the statements as a signal that Iran's diplomatic track had not collapsed but was recalibrating — with Tehran investing in multilateral legitimacy rather than rushing back to bilateral US talks that Washington had shown willingness to cancel at short notice, as it did on April 25 in Islamabad.