MOSCOW, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held a phone conversation on Tuesday with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi to discuss the situation in the Middle East.
The two sides exchanged views on the regional situation, which has sharply deteriorated following the unprovoked aggression by the United States and Israel against Iran, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Lavrov reiterated Russia's principled position in favor of a swift de-escalation and a return to a political and diplomatic settlement, said the statement.
Russia remains ready to help facilitate such efforts while taking into account the security interests of Iran and its neighbors, it added.
Previously, Lavrov and Araghchi held a phone conversation on Feb. 28, during which the Russian minister condemned the U.S. and Israeli raids on Iran. ■