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“I am confident that Iran’s cause, like Russia’s, is a just cause,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday at a joint press conference in Tehran with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi.
Lavrov accused Washington and Israel of launching what he described as an unprovoked military campaign against the country whilst reaffirming Moscow’s commitment to continue supporting Tehran.
His remarks came hours after US President Donald Trump defended easing economic pressure on Moscow, arguing that further sanctions could jeopardise negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. He said he also wanted to ensure that Russia did not provide further support for Iran.
“Russia is doing very little, if anything, to help the Islamic Republic of Iran, compared to what they could be doing, and I want to keep it that way,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday.
The US president said he did not want to risk driving Russia away from the negotiating table by imposing further economic pressure, despite criticism of his recent decision to waive some sanctions targeting Moscow.
“I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don’t want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table,” Trump wrote.
Moscow pledges continued support for Tehran
Lavrov said Russia remained willing to help find a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Iran and the US and Israel, which he characterised as a crisis caused by US and Israeli military action.
“We once again expressed our country’s readiness to assist in finding mutually acceptable solutions to overcome this man-made crisis,” he said, according to remarks reported by Kremlin-controlled media.
He welcomed Tehran’s stated willingness to pursue diplomacy and called for a return to conditions that prevailed before the conflict in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, including restoring freedom of navigation and securing guarantees against renewed military action.
Lavrov also claimed Moscow had worked at the United Nations to prevent attempts to justify US and Israeli strikes against Iran, whilst providing humanitarian assistance, including medicines and regular food shipments.
Beyond diplomatic support, he made clear that Russia had no intention of abandoning its economic relationship with Tehran.
“Despite the difficult circumstances, Russia does not intend to abandon the implementation of agreements with Iran in the economic and investment spheres,” Lavrov said.
Trump defends easing pressure on Moscow
In the same Truth Social post, Trump also directed fresh criticism at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accusing him of damaging global diesel markets by continuing Ukrainian strikes against Russian oil refineries.
Trump claimed it was Kyiv’s attacks and not Moscow’s invasion or Washington’s war on Iran that was hurting American farmers, businesses and consumers, as he praised Russia for agreeing to supply diesel to international markets at relatively low prices.
He also accused Zelenskyy of having little interest in ending the war, suggesting that Ukraine had missed earlier opportunities to negotiate a more favourable settlement.
His comments followed Washington’s decision to waive a new sanctions package targeting Russia and to ease restrictions on Russian diesel, measures that have drawn criticism over their potential to provide Moscow with additional revenue whilst its war against Ukraine continues.
The White House has defended its approach as part of efforts to preserve peace negotiations and relieve pressure on global fuel markets.