Araghchi Tells Lavrov U.S. Actions Drive Strait of Hormuz Instability

Tehran - BORNA - Araghchi made the remarks during a bilateral meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday afternoon on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers in Kyrgyzstan.

During the meeting, the two top diplomats reviewed bilateral cooperation across political, economic, trade, transportation, and energy sectors. They also discussed coordination within international bodies and regional multilateral frameworks, including the SCO and BRICS, agreeing to follow up on the implementation of existing bilateral agreements.

Turning to regional developments, Araghchi and Lavrov exchanged views on West Asia following Washington's violation of the terms of the Islamabad understanding.

The Iranian foreign minister praised Russia's principled stance in condemning U.S. and Israeli military aggression against Iran, emphasizing that Tehran demonstrated goodwill during the negotiations that led to the conflict-termination understanding.

"Just as the Islamic Republic of Iran showed seriousness in diplomacy, it remains fully determined to defend its national security and interests and to prevent the United States from exploiting the Strait of Hormuz to threaten Iran’s national security," Araghchi said.

For his part, Lavrov reaffirmed Moscow's principled position in condemning U.S. and Israeli military aggression against Iran. He highlighted the importance of regional cooperation and trust-building to establish a security mechanism driven by regional states, expressing Russia's readiness to assist in the process.

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