Lavrov says Iran’s cause is “just”; Araghchi says Europe is a partner in the war

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi used a joint press conference in Tehran on Monday to defend Iran’s position in the war, criticize Europe and reaffirm Russian-Iranian cooperation.

“I am convinced that Iran’s cause, just like Russia’s cause, is a just one,” Lavrov said.

Araghchi said European countries were “partners in this war,” pointing to the use of European bases for U.S. military operations against Iran.

Lavrov said Russia had no intention of abandoning its economic and investment agreements with Iran. “Our specialists are gradually returning to the Bushehr nuclear power plant,” he said, adding that the two countries also had major prospects for cooperation in extracting and transporting hydrocarbons.

Araghchi accused France of supporting the war and cited French President Emmanuel Macron’s January message to U.S. President Donald Trump saying: “We can do great things on Iran.” The message itself did not explicitly say France would help wage war against Iran.

Araghchi said Europe’s economic and social crises were the result of its own policies and accused European governments of prolonging the war in Ukraine and supporting Israel’s actions in Gaza.

He also warned against portraying the Iran conflict as a “civilizational war,” saying: “No civilizational war should be encouraged, and no such war should exist today.”

On regional security, Araghchi said the war had shown that U.S. military bases and foreign forces had failed to protect countries in the region. He said Iran supports “homegrown” collective security arrangements among regional states without foreign military involvement.