In a telephone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on April 13, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed Russia's readiness to assist in resolving the crisis around Iran, the Russian Foreign Ministry's Telegram channel reported.
“Lavrov stressed the importance of preventing a relapse into armed confrontation, confirmed Russia's constant readiness to assist in resolving the crisis, which has no military solution, and recalled Russia's initiative to develop a Concept for Ensuring Security in the Persian Gulf with the participation of all littoral states and the support of countries outside the region capable of positively influencing the course of the negotiations“, the Russian ministry said.
Araghchi briefed Lavrov on the details of the Iranian-American talks held in Islamabad on April 11. The Russian side “welcomes the commitment to continue diplomatic efforts and find solutions that would address the root causes of the conflict and achieve long-term stabilization in the region, taking into account the legitimate interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its neighbors“.
The Russian minister expressed his “sincere condolences“ to Araghchi in connection with the assassination of former Iranian Foreign Minister and head of Iran's Strategic Council on Foreign Policy, K. Kharazy, in an air strike.
Later, Lavrov arrived in Beijing for a two-day visit, RBC reported.
The Russian minister will meet with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, to discuss a wide range of issues of bilateral cooperation, as well as interaction within international organizations and associations – The United Nations (UN), BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), G20, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and others.
“A comprehensive exchange of views is expected on a number of hot topics and regional issues, including the Ukrainian crisis and the situation in the Middle East“, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The Chinese Foreign Ministry specified that the visit is being held at the invitation of the Chinese side.
Last weekend, the first direct talks between Iran and the United States were held in Islamabad after the ceasefire announced a few days earlier. The meeting lasted more than 20 hours, but failed to reach an agreement, and after its conclusion, US President Donald Trump announced a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. However, according to Axios, mediators hope to organize another round of talks before the two-week ceasefire expires on April 21. In addition to Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey are also playing this role in the negotiation process.
“The New York Times“ revealed that Iran was persuaded to agree to a two-week ceasefire by China's intervention “at the last minute“. Earlier, in late March, China and Pakistan jointly presented a peace initiative that calls for an immediate ceasefire, the start of negotiations, the resumption of normal shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and humanitarian aid.
An estimated 45-50% of China's crude oil imports pass through the Strait of Hormuz. On April 11, CNN reported that US intelligence agencies have information indicating that China intends to deliver new air defense systems, including man-portable surface-to-air missile systems, to Iran in the coming weeks. Beijing denies this.