If you're only taking a single exposure then yes lower is better (when shooting a static scene from a tripod)
But I have taken multiple exposures and combined them in post so the noise averages out.
Also the stars move so there's only so much light I can capture and I would need to boost the exposure in post that would also then increase the noise.
As for the foreground, I was cold and didn't want to wait 8min extra so I used a bit more ISO.
The real world difference between low and higher ISO isn't as bad as it seems in the datasheet, especially when you throw postprocessing in the mix
I gave a bit longer answer here: https://lemmy.world/comment/17856195
But basically postprocessing and image staking allows you to use high iso with minimal quality loss