Russia's Lavrov: US aggression against Iran closed diplomatic path opened by Islamabad MoU
Tuesday, 14 July 2026 4:35 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 14 July 2026 4:35 PM ]
Sergey Lavrov, Russia's foreign minister. (File photo)
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has criticized renewed US attacks on Iran, saying the strikes have undermined diplomatic efforts and effectively closed the path opened by the Islamabad memorandum of understanding (MoU).
Speaking at a joint press conference with Chad’s Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Sabre Fadoul in Moscow on Monday, Lavrov said the latest attacks against Iran had damaged efforts to implement the agreement.
"The most important thing is that this does not lead to a resolution. This closes the door that the memorandum of understanding has opened," Lavrov said in response to a question about Russia's assessment of the renewed aggression.
The US resumed large-scale strikes against Iran on July 8, falsely accusing Tehran of violating understandings related to the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei rejected the allegation on Sunday, saying Iran had never violated the MoU and that Washington was solely responsible for its collapse.
Baghaei said that the memorandum had entered a state of crisis after the US failed to honor its commitments, saying "Iran has never been the first to breach its obligations."
He added that Washington “was so impatient” that it did not allow the one-month period outlined in Article 5 concerning the Strait of Hormuz to expire before abandoning its commitments.
"The Americans gutted the 14-point memorandum of understanding, stripping away its key provisions," Baghaei stated.
He emphasized that, as a coastal state, Iran has the right to take the necessary measures to safeguard its national interests, and that Tehran will not allow the US and Israel to use the Strait of Hormuz to harm regional stability.
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The United States has perpetrated numerous violations against Iranian territory since April 7, when US President Donald Trump announced a unilateral ceasefire in the latest bout of American-Israeli aggression targeting the Islamic Republic.
The violations continued even after Washington and Tehran signed the MoU last month, whose first clause clearly mandates cessation of aggression on all fronts.
Earlier this month, the Islamic Republic scaled up its retaliation strategy in response to the violations, pledging to strike enemy targets at a ratio of at least two to one, meaning that for every Iranian target hit, at least two enemy targets will be struck in return.
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