TEHRAN, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that Iran and Russia maintain that regional issues have no military solution and must be pursued through diplomacy.
He made the remarks at a joint press conference with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov following their meeting in Tehran, according to the official news agency IRNA.
Araghchi said the insecurity in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz "is the direct consequence of the U.S.-Israeli military aggression against Iran, which started on Feb. 28 and has continued in different forms up to now."
He said Iran and Russia are in full agreement in their opposition to U.S. "belligerent unilateralism," and will cooperate at the international level to strengthen multilateralism and protect the international law.
Lavrov, for his part, described the meeting with Araghchi as "fruitful, transparent and frank," adding, "We are witnessing rapid and sustainable growth in bilateral trade."
He also said that Russian technical specialists and experts are gradually returning to the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant project in southern Iran, and there are broad prospects of cooperation between the two sides regarding the extraction and transit of hydrocarbons.
Lavrov arrived in Tehran earlier in the day. Iran and Russia, both under U.S. sanctions, have in recent years expanded their political and economic relations to counter U.S. restrictions. ■
