Russia's Lavrov urges Iran's inclusion in Gulf security

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called for Iran to be included in a regional security system in the Gulf. Speaking on Monday at a meeting with students and faculty at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), Lavrov said Iran's participation in a Gulf security system would be an important practical step toward ensuring regional stability. He recalled that more than 20 years ago, Russia proposed that Gulf countries and Iran consider organising a meeting to develop a security concept for the region. 'Recognising that relations between them are complex, we proceeded from the assumption that we would facilitate meetings, discussions of mutual grievances, and agreement on certain confidence-building measures,' he said. 'We believed these discussions would be easier to organise if the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council were involved simultaneously,' he added. Lavrov said the situation began to change after the US and Israel launched a joint military operation against Tehran in February. 'Several years ago, before the Israeli and US aggression against Iran, relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia were normalised thanks to China's initiative and our active encouragement,' he noted.