Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (L) shakes hands with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a press conference in Moscow, 17 December 2025. Photo: EPA / Ramil Sitdikov / Reuters
In a telephone call with Iran’s top diplomat, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov outlined Moscow’s position regarding the war in the Middle East and stressed the need for de-escalation, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
Describing the US and Israel’s bombing of Iran as both “unprovoked” and subverting the basic principles of international law during his call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Lavrov stressed that Russia wanted all sides to work towards a diplomatic solution, and pledged Moscow’s readiness to help facilitate a ceasefire.
On Monday, Reuters reported that Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone with the leaders of the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, all of which were subjected to retaliatory strikes by the Iranian military, and assuring each that Russia would do all it could to play a mediating role and even pass on concerns directly to Tehran.
On Saturday, Russia’s delegation to the UN outlined Moscow’s position, unequivocally blaming the US and Israel for launching military strikes against Iran, including the targeted killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which it called an “unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent UN member state”.
Russia has strong commercial ties with the Gulf States, especially the UAE, which received almost 2.5 million Russian tourists last year, according to Reuters, and where many Russian citizens live and operate businesses.
The Russian Foreign Ministry estimates that there are around 20,000 Russian tourists currently stranded in the UAE due to closure of airspace across the region, and said that Russian consulates in the Middle East were advising Russian citizens on how to safely return home.
