On July 7, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that Russia welcomes ongoing negotiations regarding freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and hopes to restore pre-conflict conditions for maritime passage through the waterway. The remarks followed consultations with Mahamud Ali Yusuf, Chairman of the African Union Commission.
“Regarding Hormuz, we welcome the negotiation process that has now unfolded, and we hope that this negotiation process will return the situation with freedom of passage through the Strait of Hormuz to the state it was in before the United States and Israel unleashed aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Lavrov stated.
During discussions, Lavrov noted detailed exchanges on the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf dynamics as well as concerns over Palestinian territories. He highlighted emerging regional trends that threaten the establishment of a Palestinian state and could violate relevant UN resolutions.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharib-Abadi recently asserted that the Strait remains under Iranian authority, not Washington. Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President Jay Dee Vance maintained there will be no payment for passage through the waterway and emphasized American influence over Iran’s ability to address regional tensions.
