Russia, UAE agree to stay in contact to restore navigation through Strait of Hormuz

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Emirati counterpart, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, agreed during a phone call to remain in contact to help restore navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

A statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said the two diplomats exchanged assessments regarding the situation in the Persian Gulf region following US-Iran talks held in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, over the weekend.

The statement said Lavrov and Al Nahyan called for an “immediate cessation and non-resumption of all military actions,” as well as the continuation of diplomatic efforts to overcome the crisis caused by the US-Israeli offensive on Iran, which has killed more than 3,300 people since Feb. 28, before a fragile two-week ceasefire was brokered last week.

“The ministers expressed a common opinion on the inadmissibility of causing harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure in the states of the region,” the statement said.

It added that the two diplomats “agreed to remain in contact in order to help identify ways towards a sustainable settlement and the restoration of normal navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and other regional waterways.”

The phone call took place after US President Donald Trump announced a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which took effect at 1400GMT on Monday.

The blockade came as Washington and Tehran failed to reach an agreement during talks in Islamabad that began on Saturday and ended early Sunday.