Araqchi blames US for Strait of Hormuz tensions

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said regional issues should be resolved through diplomacy and blamed the United States for insecurity and tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, speaking at a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday.

Araqchi also called for regional countries to work toward a joint security arrangement.

"We welcome any initiative that leads to security from within without the presence of foreign forces, and consider it the right move," Araqchi said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow would honor its economic agreements with Iran despite the "challenging situation," reaffirming Russia's commitment to bilateral cooperation following talks with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi.

Speaking at a joint news conference in Tehran, Lavrov said Russian-Iranian cooperation is developing dynamically despite "known circumstances," supported by a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty that entered into force last year.

He said bilateral trade last year rose 21% and grew by more than 10% in the first eight months of this year. The free trade agreement between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union – a group of post-Soviet states – which took effect in May 2025 is also helping strengthen economic ties, he added.

Lavrov said Russian specialists are gradually returning to Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, noting "significant prospects in the field of hydrocarbon extraction and redistribution." He also said that Russian contractors continued engineering work on the planned Rasht-Astara railway.