Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called for Iran to be included in the Mecca Defense Alliance. On Monday (September 7), he said that Iran’s participation in a regional security framework could be an important practical step toward ensuring stability in the Gulf region, Anadolu Agency reported.

Lavrov made the remarks during a meeting with students and faculty members of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO).

He recalled that more than 20 years ago, Russia had proposed holding meetings with the Gulf states to develop a security concept for the region that would include both the Arab monarchies and Iran.

“Recognizing that relations between them were complicated, we moved forward with the idea,” Lavrov said. “We believed we could help them organize meetings, discuss mutual grievances and agree on some confidence-building measures.”

He added that Russia believed such discussions would be easier to organize if the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council were involved simultaneously.

Lavrov said the situation began to change after the United States and Israel launched a joint military operation against Tehran in February.

He noted that several years ago, before what he described as Israeli and US aggression against Iran, relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia had been normalized through a Chinese initiative and Russia’s active encouragement.

Lavrov referred to the Mecca Pact presented by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye, describing it as a framework for a “collective security and defensive alliance.”

He said the initiators of the pact had emphasized that its doors would remain open to other countries, including those outside the Gulf region.

“Egypt is often mentioned. I am sure that Algeria, although it has also expressed interest, could at some point have a positive impact as well,” Lavrov said.

He further said that if such a framework could also reach an agreement on the terms under which Iran could participate in the process, it would be the most practical step toward the concept Russia had originally proposed.

Lavrov added that Russia would not seek to play a leadership role in such a process.