Russian, Iranian foreign ministers say only diplomatic solution to conflict around Iran

People walk past a billboard about the Strait of Hormuz, on a building in Tehran, Iran, September 16, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab Sept 25 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart met on Thursday and Moscow said ​both agreed that only a diplomatic settlement could ‌end tension in the Middle East sparked by the US-Israeli war against Iran. "Current regional and international issues were discussed ​with emphasis on the situation around Iran," ​Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement after ⁠Lavrov and Iran's Abbas Araqchi met in New ​York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Sign up here. "It ​was stressed that there is no alternative to a diplomatic settlement of the crisis provoked by the illegal actions of ​the United States and Israel." Russian President Vladimir Putin ​and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian signed a strategic cooperation ‌partnership ⁠in 2025 which provides for a deepening of bilateral ties and closer defence cooperation, but includes no mutual defence clause. Each side has provided the other with ​military know-how ​and equipment. Pezeshkian thanked ⁠Vladimir Putin earlier this month for Moscow's position on the Iran war and ​said together, Moscow and Tehran can resist ​what ⁠he called US "unilateralism". Pezeshkian said in an interview published on Thursday that it was up to the US to ⁠choose ​when the Iran war would ​end, when asked if the conflict could end by the end ​of the year. Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Michael Perry Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab Suggested Topics: Middle East X Facebook Linkedin Email Link Purchase Licensing Rights