Russia expressed hope that diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions around Iran would be effective and said on Sunday that the United States could help by "abandoning the language of ultimatums and returning the situation to a negotiating track."
The remarks came in a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry issued after a phone call between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. The statement said the two ministers "called for efforts to avoid actions, including in the U.N. Security Council, that could undermine the remaining chances for advancing political and diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis."
In the same statement, Russia indicated it supported steps to de-escalate tensions, framing such measures as serving "the interests of long-term and sustainable normalisation of the situation in the Middle East." The ministry reiterated that those aims, it said, "would be facilitated by the United States abandoning the language of ultimatums and returning the situation to a negotiating track."
The Foreign Ministry statement tied together three elements: a bilateral ministerial conversation, an appeal to avoid actions that might reduce diplomatic options in international fora such as the U.N. Security Council, and an explicit call for the United States to change its tone and push the situation back toward negotiations.
Russia characterised de-escalation as a prerequisite for long-term, sustainable normalisation in the region and presented a U.S. shift in rhetoric as a facilitating step toward that outcome. The ministry emphasised the need to protect the remaining possibilities for political and diplomatic measures to resolve the crisis, warning that certain actions could undercut those chances.
Beyond restating Moscow's preference for a negotiating track, the statement highlights the parties' shared concern about moves in international institutions that could narrow diplomatic avenues. The call to avoid such actions included a specific reference to the U.N. Security Council.
As presented in the Foreign Ministry release, the conversation between Lavrov and Araqchi served as the immediate context for Moscow's appeal for de-escalation and for urging Washington to alter its approach.