TEHRAN – Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref has stressed that countries in the Caucasus and Central Asia must resolve their own disputes without outside intervention, warning that foreign involvement undermines regional stability.

Speaking on Friday with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on the sidelines of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) Prime Ministers’ Summit in Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan, Aref said Iran’s strategic policy rejects the presence of external powers in the region’s geopolitics.

“All countries in the Caucasus and Central Asia can coexist in peace, stability, and security without foreign interference,” he stated.

Aref aligned Iran’s position with Russia’s opposition to US unilateralism, saying regional states are fully capable of resolving their own challenges. He welcomed any initiative aimed at easing tensions and promoting cooperation among neighbors.

On the nuclear issue, Aref said Iran has consistently sought dialogue and confidence-building regarding its peaceful program, but accused Western states of politicizing the matter. He dismissed threats by Britain, France, and Germany to trigger the UN “snapback” mechanism, saying they have no legal right to do so and are effectively endorsing Washington’s “unprincipled” stance in the talks.

The Russian prime minister, for his part, emphasized that trade and economic cooperation between Moscow and Tehran has significantly increased in recent years.

‘Treaty between Armenia, Azerbaijan a step toward consolidating peace in Caucasus’

Addressing the prime ministers of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) on Friday in the Kyrgyz resort city of Cholpon-Ata, Aref welcomed the August 8 peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, saying it was a step toward consolidating peace and stability in the Caucasus.

“Iran continues to emphasize solidarity and the preservation of the territorial integrity of countries, and believes that outside interventions will not bring lasting security to the region,” he said.

‘US-Israeli aggression took place amid UN Security Council’s silence’

Aref condemned the United Nations Security Council for failing to act in response to the joint US-Israeli assault on Iranian territory in June, describing it as a blatant violation of international law and the UN Charter.

He praised the bloc’s “constructive and encouraging” positions during what he called the 12-day imposed war against the Islamic Republic.

“This was while we witnessed the inaction of the United Nations Security Council regarding the flagrant violation of international law and the UN Charter by the Zionist regime and the United States,” Aref said.

He denounced the attack as a grave breach of international norms, citing the assault on Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities, targeted killings of civilians, and “illegal and criminal operations” against military personnel beyond their mission areas, as well as the assassination of university professors. “The bloodshed of women, children, and ordinary citizens further revealed the Zionist regime’s objective of spreading insecurity in the region,” he added.

On June 13, the Israeli regime—backed by the United States—launched an unprovoked act of aggression, assassinating senior military commanders and nuclear scientists of Iran, and killing hundreds of civilians. The United States also bombed three Iranian nuclear sites in what Aref called a “grave violation” of international law.

In retaliation, Iran’s Armed Forces struck strategic military and industrial sites across the occupied territories and targeted the Al-Udeid air base in Qatar, the largest American military installation in West Asia. Taken by surprise, Tel Aviv halted its operations on June 24 and accepted a unilateral US-brokered ceasefire.

The assault took place against the backdrop of Israel’s war on Gaza, which since October 2023 has killed thousands of Palestinians—many of them women and children.

‘Israeli actions in Gaza are crimes against humanity and a continuation of genocide’

The vice president also highlighted the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, accusing Israel of committing crimes against humanity through its ongoing war.

“The world is currently witnessing the actions of the Zionist regime in imposing famine and starvation on the oppressed people of Gaza, and even its decision to fully occupy it,” Aref said. “This is a clear example of a crime against humanity and a continuation of genocide.”

Reaffirming Iran’s firm opposition to such acts, he urged all governments to meet their “shared and collective responsibility” to halt the violations of international humanitarian law, war crimes, and crimes against humanity being committed in Gaza.