FM hopes for political settlement of crisis in Ukraine

As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continued for the second day, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says he hopes the crisis will be settled through political channels.

In a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday, Amir-Abdollahian said that efforts are underway for the repatriation of Iranian nationals living in Ukraine through neighboring countries.

"It is our serious priority to ensure security and health of Iranian citizens living in Ukraine and we expect that grounds will be prepared for their safe exit," he added.

The top Russian diplomat, for his part, briefed his Iranian counterpart on his country's stance on the Ukrainian crisis and slammed Western states' position in this regard.

Lavrov assured Amir-Abdollahian that Russia is serious about protecting the lives of foreign citizens in Ukraine, including Iranians.

Iran will never cross its red lines in Vienna talks

Elsewhere in the phone conversation, Amir-Abdollahian said Iran would never cross its red lines in the ongoing negotiations with the five remaining parties to the 2015 Iran deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which are underway in the Austrian capital of Vienna with the purpose of salvaging the landmark US-abandoned agreement.

For his part, Lavrov once again reiterated Russia's determination to continue cooperation with Iran in the course of the Vienna talks and said Moscow has always supported Tehran's stance.

Intra-Yemeni talks sole solution to Yemeni crisis

The Iranian foreign minister further denounced the "destructive" move by the UN Security Council to adopt a draft resolution against Yemen’s  Ansarullah movement and the world body's "wrong" move to designate the Ansarullah as a terrorist group. He also urged the UNSC to stop the resolution.

Amir-Abdollahian said, "Yemen belongs to all Yemenis and intra-Yemeni talks are the solution" to the crisis in the country.

Lavrov, for his turn, explained Russia's stance on the developments in Yemen.

SS