Iran FM Araqchi blames US for Strait of Hormuz tensions, calls for diplomacy

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.

Russia and Iran, two of the most heavily sanctioned nations in the world, maintain close ties. Their military and economic cooperation has only increased since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

The Middle East war began in February with US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Despite a ceasefire in April, followed by a US-Iran memorandum of understanding in June, hostilities in and around the Strait of Hormuz have not stopped.

Iran claims control over the strategic waterway -- through which one-fifth of the world's hydrocarbons pass in normal times -- and regularly targets vessels that cross without its authorisation.

In response, Washington has been maintaining a naval counter-blockade on Iranian ports.

The Russian foreign ministry said discussions during Lavrov's visit were expected to focus on "ways to resolve the acute international crisis triggered by the unlawful aggression of the US and Israel against Iran".

The ministry said the war had been a blow to stability and security "not only in the near and Middle East, but also on a global scale".