Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the situation in the Middle East during separate phone calls with his Bahraini, Egyptian, Indian, and Omani counterparts, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.
It said the call with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty expressed concern about the deteriorating situation in the region.
"The ministers expressed profound concern over the increasingly perilous situation in the Middle East, which has sharply deteriorated due to the unprovoked aggression by the United States and Israel against Iran," it said in a statement.
Lavrov and Abdelatty urged the swiftest end to the conflict, which is leading to casualties among the civilian population and causing damage to civilian infrastructure, according to a readout.
Both called for the immediate resumption of political and diplomatic efforts to achieve sustainable stability and security in the region and agreed to continue contacts and foreign policy coordination at the UN and other international platforms.
In subsequent statements, Lavrov was also reported to have held calls with Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi.
"The foreign ministers exchanged views on the situation surrounding Iran, calling for its rapid normalization," it said, noting they emphasized support for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's and BRICS's contribution to efforts to de-escalate the situation, along with discussing aspects of the bilateral agenda.
Meanwhile, a corresponding statement on the call with the Omani foreign minister said the two sides reiterated their position in favor of preventing escalation and immediately returning to a political and diplomatic settlement.
"The inadmissibility of involving third countries, primarily the Gulf states, in the conflict was particularly emphasized, as this carries the risk of expanding the geography of active military operations," it said, adding that Lavrov highlighted Russia's willingness to assist in "identifying compromise-based peaceful solutions."
A later statement on Lavrov's call with his Bahraini counterpart said that the two sides highlighted the need for a swift end to military action and the launch of negotiations, with the former expressing Russia's "readiness to use all available opportunities to actively contribute to stabilizing the situation in the region."
Tensions escalated across the Mideast on Feb. 28 when the US and Israel launched large-scale attacks on Iran that have killed more than 1,300 people, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Israel has also extended its operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, despite a November 2024 ceasefire.
Tehran has responded with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, as well as Gulf countries that host US assets, and announced Mojtaba Khamenei as the new supreme leader.
