Russia says US should abandon ‘language of ultimatums’ on Iran

MOSCOW: Russia expressed hope on Sunday ​that efforts to de-escalate the Iran ‌conflict would bear fruit and said the U.S. would contribute by “abandoning the language ​of ultimatums and returning ​the situation to a negotiating track.”

The ⁠Russian Foreign Ministry statement was issued ​after a conversation between Russian Foreign ​Minister Sergei Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.

It said both sides “called for ​efforts to avoid actions, including ​in the U.N. Security Council, that could undermine ‌the ⁠remaining chances for advancing political and diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis.”

Russia, it said, backed efforts ​to de-escalate ​tensions “in ⁠the interests of long-term and sustainable normalisation of the ​situation in the Middle East, ​which ⁠would be facilitated by the United States abandoning the language of ⁠ultimatums ​and returning the situation ​to a negotiating track.”

Earlier, yesterday US President Donald Trump said that Iran has 48 hours to meet Washington’s demands to make a deal or reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT,” Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social.

“Time is running out – 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them,” he added.

On March 26, Trump said that he had extended Iran’s nuclear negotiation deadline to 10 days partially because Tehran sent him 10 Pakistani-flagged oil tankers as a goodwill gesture.

The region has been on alert since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on Feb. 28, killing more than 1,340 people to date, including then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.​​​​​​​

Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, as well as Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets. Iran has also restricted the movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz.