In an interview with Saudi Arabia’s Al Arabiya TV network on Feb. 18, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made an important point regarding the string of events unfolding in Southwest Asia. He warned that the United States is “playing with fire” in its provocations involving, and that “the consequences would be adverse” for any strike against the country. However, in contrast to the brute force method of “making a deal” that U.S. President Donald Trump has been acting upon, Lavrov highlighted a very different approach for resolving the situation.
Lavrov noted how such actions “could undermine the positive trend we have seen in recent years,” listing as examples of this the Saudi Arabia-Iran rapprochement and the improved relations between the Gulf Cooperation Council and Iran. Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations in March 2023, in a deal brokered by China. This landmark development paved the way for almost the entirety of the Gulf Cooperation Council nations to also warm relations with Iran. Not mentioned by Lavrov but also a part of this picture, Iran became a member of the BRICS in 2024, as did with the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, further underscoring the “positive trend” for the region as a whole.
Foreign Minister Lavrov also defended Iran’s position when it came to negotiations with the United States, reviewing the history of the JCPOA (“Iran nuclear deal”) and the U.S. withdrawal, and Iran’s ensuing enrichment of higher levels of uranium. “Iran was never found violating the [Nuclear] Non-Proliferation Treaty or its agreement on guarantees with the IAEA,” stated Lavrov, and added that, today, Iran “genuinely wishes to resolve this problem on the basis of respecting the Non-Proliferation Treaty.”
Lavrov further said that Iran is prepared to reduce the level of its uranium enrichment to that required for peaceful purposes, energy and medical, and to guarantee the IAEA’s return to conduct oversight.
