TEHRAN/DOHA – Tehran will not accept that another country would seek to impose its will and demands on other nations through force and pressure, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said during a meeting with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Tehran on Monday.

Citing US-Israeli strikes on Iran, Pezeshkian said assassinating its leadership, military commanders, nuclear scientists and students, and hitting infrastructure defies all legal and moral standards, especially while Tehran was still negotiating with Washington.

Iran has no fundamental dispute with other countries of the West Asia region and is prepared to resolve existing issues and challenges through dialogue, Pezeshkian said, according to a statement published on the website of his office.

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Lavrov, for his part, highlighted Russia-Iran alignment on global issues, stressing the need to press ahead with diplomatic talks and tap existing capabilities to bolster peace and security, the statement said.

Lavrov arrived in Tehran earlier in the day. Iran and Russia, both under US sanctions, have in recent years expanded their political and economic relations to counter US restrictions.

‘No military solution exists to regional issues’

Also on Monday, Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said that Iran and Russia maintain that regional issues have no military solution and must be pursued through diplomacy.

He made the remarks at a joint press conference with Lavrov following their meeting in Tehran, according to the official news agency IRNA.

Araghchi said the insecurity in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz "is the direct consequence of the US-Israeli military aggression against Iran, which started on Feb 28 and has continued in different forms up to now."

He said Iran and Russia are in full agreement in their opposition to US "belligerent unilateralism," and will cooperate at the international level to strengthen multilateralism and protect the international law.

Lavrov, for his part, described the meeting with Araghchi as "fruitful, transparent and frank," adding, "We are witnessing rapid and sustainable growth in bilateral trade."

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He also said that Russian technical specialists and experts are gradually returning to the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant project in southern Iran, and there are broad prospects of cooperation between the two sides regarding the extraction and transit of hydrocarbons.

Lavrov arrived in Tehran earlier in the day. Iran and Russia, both under US sanctions, have in recent years expanded their political and economic relations to counter US restrictions. 

Qatar to announce regional defense partnership

Meanwhile, Qatar is preparing to announce a new regional defense partnership aimed at strengthening its military capabilities, particularly in air defense, counter-drone systems and cybersecurity, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Monday.

Speaking at the Global Security Forum in Doha, the minister said Qatar had conducted a defense review last year that identified air defense, counter-drone capabilities, cybersecurity and electronic warfare as key priorities.

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The minister said Qatar would soon announce a new partnership with a regional partner to launch initiatives aimed at developing capabilities in these priority areas and other defense fields.

He said Qatar was also cooperating with international partners, including the United States, Britain and France, to support local defense production and investment in defense-related companies.

Sheikh Saoud also announced plans to establish a defense hub in Qatar, saying further details would be unveiled soon.