Russia ready to host Iran-Arab dialogue, says deputy FM

Russia is ready to provide a platform for dialogue aimed at resolving the conflict between Iran and Arab states, but does not intend to impose itself as a mediator, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov told Izvestia newspaper.

“We are ready to assist in the peaceful settlement of disagreements between the United States and Iran, as well as between Iranians and Arabs,” the diplomat said.

Alimov also noted that Russia maintains close contacts with all interested parties, including Islamabad, Riyadh and Ankara.

The Gulf countries, which host key US military facilities in the region, have once again come under large-scale attacks. Earlier, Tehran urged the United Nations to prohibit these states from providing Washington with footholds for launching military strikes. In response, Arab countries said they had never agreed to become an instrument in Washington’s hands in a war against Tehran. 

Moscow, meanwhile, maintains that deploying foreign military infrastructure on one’s territory is a choice and a sovereign right of any country in the world, Alimov stressed.

“The issue, however, is that instead of providing the desired protection, a foreign military presence can lead to a country being drawn into a conflict and turned into a battlefield. After all, any military base belonging to an adversary, regardless of where it is located, is a legitimate target during an armed conflict,” he explained.

By Jeyhun Aghazada