TEHRAN -- The foreign ministers of Iran and Russia said they are extremely skeptical about the U.S.’ plan for a UN Security Council voting on a resolution about Yemen, describing it as a pretext for the expansion of American military presence in the Red Sea region.
In a telephone conversation, Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov talked about a range of issues relating to the bilateral relations, the regional developments, the situation in the Red Sea and the crisis in Gaza.
Criticizing U.S. attempt to pass a resolution against Yemen under the pretext of defending Red Sea security, the Iranian foreign minister emphasized the importance of international maritime security.
“The developments in the Red Sea are related to Gaza and the behavior of the U.S. and the Israeli regime towards Palestine; and, proposing such a resolution lays the groundwork for increased American military presence in the region and the Red Sea,” Amir-Abdollahian said.
The UN Security Council was about to vote Wednesday on a resolution, initiated by the U.S., that would condemn and demand an immediate halt to what it calls attacks by Yemen’s Houthi forces on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea area.
Elsewhere in the phone call, the Iranian and Russian diplomats discussed the developments in the Gaza Strip and the ongoing massacre of civilians by the Zionists.
Iran’s foreign minister stressed the necessity of halting the attacks on Gaza and the killing of the oppressed Palestinian people.
For his part, Lavrov offered his condolences on the loss of Iranian people in a recent terrorist attack in Kerman and conveyed the Russian government’s sympathy to the Iranian government and nation.
He also slammed the recent actions of the United States in the UN Security Council regarding Yemen as a pretext for a broader presence in the region and added, “The Americans aren’t very interested in finding the root causes of the crises.”
“Similar to Iran, we also desire peace in the region, an end to the

war in the Gaza Strip, and the establishment of a Palestinian state,” Lavrov emphasized.
Stressing the need to expand relations between Moscow and Tehran, Lavrov highlighted the significance of finalizing a comprehensive and strategic cooperation agreement between the two countries and focusing on closer bilateral cooperation in the transportation sector.
The two ministers also discussed the final steps regarding the long-term cooperation agreement between Tehran and Moscow and the implementation of the Rasht-Astara railroad project, alongside plans to facilitate the Iranian truckers’ travels on the Belarus-Russia route.