Iran and Russia agree no military solution to regional issues

TEHRAN — Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Monday, 19 October, that Iran and Russia agree regional problems have no military solution and should be pursued through diplomacy, according to Antara.

Antara, citing Iran's state news agency IRNA, reported that Araghchi spoke at a joint press conference with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The event followed talks between the two in Tehran. Antara's report carried the byline of Xinhua. This report relies solely on Antara's account, and the statements below have not been independently verified.

Insecurity in the Gulf

According to Antara, Araghchi said insecurity in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz is a direct result of military aggression by the United States and Israel against Iran. He said the aggression began on 28 February and has continued in various forms to the present.

Antara did not report any response from Washington or Israel to these remarks.

Opposition to US policy

Araghchi said Iran and Russia fully agree in opposing what he called "aggressive unilateralism" by the United States, according to Antara. He said the two countries will work together at the international level to strengthen multilateralism and protect international law.

Lavrov's remarks

Lavrov described his meeting with Araghchi as useful, transparent and open, Antara reported. He was quoted, in Antara's Indonesian text, as saying that the two sides are seeing rapid and sustained growth in bilateral trade.

Lavrov also said Russian specialists and technical experts are gradually returning to the Bushehr nuclear power plant project in southern Iran, according to the report. He added that there are broad prospects for cooperation between the two countries on the extraction and transit of hydrocarbons.

Antara did not give further details on the scale of trade, the number of Russian personnel returning to Bushehr, or the terms of any hydrocarbon projects. It also did not say whether the two ministers signed any agreements.

Lavrov arrived in Tehran earlier on Monday, according to the report.

Background

Antara said Iran and Russia are both subject to US sanctions. In recent years, it said, they have expanded their political and economic ties to counter restrictions imposed by the United States.

The agency's report did not provide details of the events that Araghchi referred to as aggression beginning on 28 February. It also did not describe what has happened in the Gulf or the Strait of Hormuz since then, beyond the Iranian minister's characterisation of insecurity there.

A photo caption supplied with the Antara report noted that Araghchi held a press conference at the United Nations Security Council press area in New York on 25 September 2026.