March 27 - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks on Friday with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi that, according to a statement on the Russian Foreign Ministry website, focused on the potential for a diplomatic settlement to the current conflict in the Middle East.
The ministry statement said their discussions addressed what it called "the most difficult military-political crisis in the Middle East, which erupted as a result of unprovoked American-Israeli aggression against Iran." It added that there was "an exchange of views on the prospects of shifting the conflict into a channel for a political-diplomatic settlement based on international law and taking into account the legitimate interests of all countries in the region."
Humanitarian assistance and partnership
The ministry's account also said Lavrov outlined the details of Russia’s most recent shipment of humanitarian assistance to Iran. The statement reiterated the existence of a broader strategic partnership between the two countries that covers political, economic, military and energy cooperation, while noting that the agreement does not include a mutual defence accord.
Russia has been employing Iranian-designed drones in its four-year-old conflict with Ukraine, a detail the ministry statement did not expand on beyond noting the use of such systems.
Western concerns over cooperation
European foreign ministers used a G7 meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday to press the case that Russia was assisting Iran in targeting U.S. forces in the Middle East conflict. Two Western security sources and a regional official close to Tehran said that Moscow has been providing satellite imagery to Tehran and has helped Iran upgrade its drones so they emulate the versions Russia has used against Ukraine.
Outlook
The talks between Lavrov and Araqchi, as described by the Russian Foreign Ministry, reflect an attempt by both sides to explore diplomatic channels amid a sharply escalated regional crisis. The discussions included references to international law and the legitimate interests of countries in the region but did not set out a roadmap or specify concrete next steps for negotiations.