Lavrov and Araghchi discuss attacks on Bushehr NPP

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi held a telephone conversation, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported on Sunday.

The diplomats agreed on the need to stop the "reckless attacks" by the U.S. and Israel on the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant and other energy and civilian facilities in Iran

"The sides emphasized the need to immediately cease the reckless and illegal attacks on civilian, industrial, and energy infrastructure facilities, including the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, which is under IAEA safeguards," the statement said.

The ministry noted that the conversation "emphasized the inadmissibility of creating threats to the lives and health" of the plant’s personnel and "the risks of a radioactive disaster for the entire region."

According to the ministry, during the conversation, the Russian side expressed hope for the success of efforts undertaken by a number of states to de-escalate tensions around Iran "in the interests of a long-term and sustainable normalization of the situation in the Middle East, which would be facilitated by the U.S. abandoning the language of ultimatums and returning the situation to the negotiating table."

In addition, Lavrov and Araghchi emphasized the need to prevent steps, including in the UN Security Council, that "could undermine the remaining chances for advancing political and diplomatic efforts to settle the crisis.".