Moscow: US-Iran memorandum to save Middle East from full-scale war

The situation in the Middle East is on the brink of a large-scale war, although the Islamabad memorandum between the U.S. and Iran has everything to bring the situation in the Strait of Hormuz back to the diplomatic track, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after the 9th round of the Russia-Gulf Cooperation Council Strategic Dialogue.

"We believe that the memorandum still contains everything necessary to shift the situation from its current stage, where it is teetering on the brink of a full-scale war, toward a political and diplomatic path of negotiation," Lavrov said.

According to him, it is necessary to eliminate the root causes of what is happening in and around the Strait of Hormuz, including the implementation of the agreements between the U.S. and Iran reached within the framework of the so-called Islamabad Memorandum.

He noted that US President Donald Trump’s approach to the Iranian leadership in no way helps the region reach peace agreements.

The minister stressed that Russia calls for settling the conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis by political and diplomatic means.

"We also discussed the deteriorating situation in the south of the Arabian Peninsula. My colleague has already mentioned the situation in Yemen. Both we and our partners in the Gulf Cooperation Council stand for a political and diplomatic solution to this crisis. We believe there are ample grounds for this, including the 2023 road map developed with Saudi Arabia’s active and leading role," Lavrov said.