Iran welcomes regional security initiatives 'without presence of foreign forces,' says foreign minister
Iran welcomes any regional security framework that excludes the "presence or intervention of foreign forces," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday following talks in Tehran with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, reiterating that West Asian stability must be forged strictly by regional states without Western interference.
- World
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 12:05 AM 20 October 2026
Iran welcomes regional security initiatives that do not include the "presence or intervention of foreign forces," said the nation's foreign minister on Monday.
"We welcome any initiative that leads to the establishment of security based on regional capabilities and collective security arrangements among regional countries, without the presence or intervention of foreign forces, and consider it a step in the right direction," Abbas Araghchi told a joint news conference alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Tehran, according to Iran's state-run news agency IRNA.
Araghchi claimed that the recent war showed regional countries that the presence of foreign forces and US military bases on their territory "not only did not help ensure their security, but also became a hindrance to their security."
Tehran is ready to consult and cooperate with regional countries to establish a comprehensive security framework built on their participation and designed by them to serve their interests, he stressed.
Araghchi said his Monday talks with Lavrov also covered developments in the Caspian Sea, adding that Tehran and Moscow "share a common position on developments in Afghanistan."
Iran and Russia share a "fundamental opposition to the United States' aggressive unilateralism," he said, adding that the two nations will work together through international institutions and forums "to strengthen multilateralism."
Tehran and Moscow have strengthened political, economic, and military cooperation in recent years amid Western sanctions imposed on both countries.
In early 2025, Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a 20-year Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty in Moscow, covering cooperation in defense, security, energy, trade, and transportation.
The agreement also provides for closer coordination on regional and international issues, although it does not establish an obligation for mutual defense.