Araghchi: We Are Talking With Putin About Confronting Common Threats

According to Saednews, quoting the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Foreign Minister, said on Sunday evening upon arrival in Moscow, in response to a question regarding recent remarks by the Russian president who stated that Iran and Russia are fighting common enemies, and what Iran’s expectations are from the Russian side under these circumstances:

“We and Russia always have common concerns, shared worries, and common enemies. We constantly engage in mutual consultation, cooperation, and close coordination to confront shared challenges and threats. This is exactly what will be done in the meeting with the Russian president on Monday.”

He emphasized: “In this critical new situation where the international system is genuinely under threat, our consultations with Russia can be very important. We try to coordinate each other’s positions.”

Closer, more serious consultations between Iran and Russia amid regional special conditions

Araghchi pointed out: “Given the special conditions prevailing in the region, consultations between Iran and Russia must be more precise, more serious, and closer.”

The trip to Moscow was pre-arranged

The Iranian Foreign Minister reminded that his trip to Moscow had been arranged in advance, noting that after participating in the Islamic countries’ foreign ministers’ summit in Istanbul, he came to Moscow to meet with the Russian president to discuss the Zionist regime’s aggression and issues threatening the region.

He continued: “This trip takes place following the US attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran and the new aggression from that country. Naturally, our discussions will now be more serious and cover broader dimensions.”

Hope for practical steps by the UN Security Council to condemn the US attack

Araghchi said: “The US attack on the nuclear facilities is an act of aggression that must certainly be condemned. We appreciate Russia’s position, which on Sunday condemned this aggression in the strongest possible terms.”

He added: “We hope this will be followed by practical steps in the Security Council and other international forums.”

Referring to his meeting on Monday with the Russian president, the Foreign Minister said: “In any case, we will have serious and important discussions with Putin, which I am sure will be in the interests of both countries.”

Attack on Iran equals attack on international law and the NPT

Regarding Russian officials’ statements that the US attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities is an attack on the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty), Araghchi said: “This is what I also said in my press conference in Istanbul on Sunday — the attack by the US is against the UN Charter and completely violates it.”

He continued: “The US attack on Iran is also an attack on international laws and rights, and more importantly, an attack on the NPT and the non-proliferation regime.”

The Foreign Minister added: “In any case, the non-proliferation regime, which plays a significant role in international security, is a coherent and very serious system that supports countries that forgo nuclear weapons, both regarding peaceful use of nuclear energy and ensuring their peaceful programs can continue safely.”

Araghchi explained: “When such an attack on a country’s nuclear facilities happens, and it is even proudly mentioned, while the Security Council and international bodies such as the IAEA are helpless not only to prevent it but even to condemn it, it naturally raises the big question: what role does the NPT play in protecting the interests of countries that want to enter the peaceful nuclear energy field?”

He emphasized: “From this perspective, the US attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities seriously undermines the NPT and destabilizes the non-proliferation system, which will have negative consequences for international security. This is completely clear, and following these actions, many countries expressed concern about violations of the UN Charter.”

Our response to the US attack will be legitimate self-defense

The Foreign Minister stressed: “The US attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities happened when no incident occurred that would justify such an act as self-defense.”

He said: “This serious US attack can only be called aggression, and naturally, what we do in response is self-defense — a fully legitimate defense against an unlawful aggression.”

Araghchi further noted that the aggressive actions of the US and the Zionist regime challenge the international system and stated: “The consequences of these actions are not just for Iran but also create significant challenges for the region, the international community, international laws, and rights, whose effects will become evident in the future.”