Russia: An all-out war in the Middle East looms on the horizon

Moscow - Ofoq News - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed on Sunday that the situation in the Middle East region is going through a critical stage on the brink of all-out war.

Lavrov said, during a press conference held in the Bahraini capital, Manama, following the conclusion of the ninth round of the strategic dialogue between Russia and the Gulf Cooperation Council: “The situation in the Middle East is teetering on the brink of resuming an all-out war.”

He added: "We talked about the deteriorating situation in the southern Arabian Peninsula. My colleague referred to the situation in the Republic of Yemen. We and our partners in the Gulf Cooperation Council support the search for a political and diplomatic solution to this crisis, and we believe that there are all the foundations for that, including the road map for 2023, which was drawn up with an active, proactive role from Saudi Arabia."

Lavrov indicated that his country supports peacekeeping efforts, including the efforts of the countries participating in the meeting, aimed at preventing a return to all-out war in the region.

The minister added: "We believe that the memorandum still includes everything necessary to move the situation from its current stage, in which it stands on the brink of resuming an all-out war, to a political, diplomatic, and negotiated path."

He stressed that it is necessary to remove the root causes of what is happening in and around the Strait of Hormuz, including of course implementing the agreements that we all welcomed, which the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran reached within the framework of the so-called Islamabad Memorandum.

Bahrain is the first stop on Lavrov's tour of the Middle East, which concludes in Tehran with talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Monday.