TEHRAN, October 19. /TASS/. The United States poses the main cause for instability in the Middle East, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday.

"The instability in the Persian Gulf region, in the Strait of Hormuz <…> stems from US military aggression," Araghchi said, speaking at a news conference following his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Tehran.

Earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Lavrov arrived in Tehran to discuss de-escalation steps in the Persian Gulf region with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi and meet with President Masoud Pezeshkian, according to a TASS correspondent.

During his meetings in Iran, Lavrov was also scheduled to devote significant attention to practical steps aimed at strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries. Russia’s top diplomat is likely also brief the Iranian side on the key outcomes of his participation in the Ministerial Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Manama, which was the first stop on his Middle East tour.

The US and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28. In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding providing for an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon. However, in the early morning hours of July 8, the US resumed large-scale strikes against Iran, accusing it of violating the terms of the agreements reached on the Strait of Hormuz.

Nearly 25% of the global oil trade and about 20% of the liquefied natural gas trade pass through the strait. The US administration then effectively signaled that it would cease the use of large-scale military force against Iran and shift to attempting to economically strangle the country through sanctions.