TEHRAN- Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Iran's foreign minister, once against has said the Islamic Republic supports any attempt to find a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine conflict.

“Based on its excellent ties with Russia, the Islamic Republic of Iran supports any effort to settle the Ukraine conflict through diplomatic means and is ready to mediate and help resolve this crisis,” Iran’s foreign minister noted during a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Thursday.

During the talks, Amir Abdollahian emphasized Iran's opposition to the use of war and sanctions, reiterating Tehran's support for a truce in Ukraine and a return to negotiations.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in Ukraine.

The U.S. and its allies have increased military aid to Ukraine, delivering a slew of advanced weaponry designed to stave off Russia's advances. The U.S. and its European allies have imposed extraordinary sanctions in response to the operation.

Moscow has frequently warned that allowing such a supply of weaponry into Ukraine would cause Russia's actions to be prolonged.

During the phone call, Amir Abdollahian and Lavrov also discussed bilateral, regional, and international issues as well as the latest status of negotiations between Iran and other remaining signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal.

“If the Americans act reasonably, a nuclear deal will be within reach,” Amir Abdollahian reiterated.
 
Amir Abdollahian praised Russia's favorable posture in backing a deal that is authorized by Tehran, stressing Iran's unwavering commitment to establish a good, robust, and long-lasting agreement that respects the country's red lines.

Since April 2021, many rounds of talks between Iran and the P4+1 group of countries — the United Kingdom, France, Germany, China, and Russia – have been conducted in the Austrian capital Vienna to revive the pact. The U.S. is not allowed to attend the talks directly since it quit the agreement in 2018. 

The negotiations have been on hold since March because the U.S. refuses to make amends for previous wrongdoings, such as the removal of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) off its list of foreign terrorist organizations.

Iran asserts that the designation of the IRGC in 2019 was part of former President Donald Trump's so-called "maximum pressure" campaign against Tehran, and that it must be overturned immediately.

Lavrov underlined Russia's ongoing support for the 2015 nuclear deal, as well as Moscow's efforts to negotiate a fair accord that reflects Iran's interests and objectives.

The Russian foreign minister also briefed his Iranian counterpart on the current events in Ukraine and supported any move that would drive Ukraine towards talks, slamming the unconstructive views of the U.S. and the West. In this context, he also viewed Iran's position as beneficial.

Since late February, Ukraine and Russia have had sporadic peace talks, but there has been minimal communication in recent weeks.

Previous rounds of negotiations had failed to provide a resolution because both opposing parties refused to budge on their red lines.