Russia and UAE Foreign Ministers Demand End to Attacks on BOTH Iran AND Gulf States — Symmetric Ceasefire Push

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed spoke by telephone and jointly called for an end to all attacks on both Iran and Gulf states, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced. 'Attention focused on the necessity of stopping attacks that lead to casualties among the civilian population and cause damage to civilian infrastructure both in the Arab countries of the Gulf and in Iran,' Lavrov's ministry said. The statement is diplomatically distinctive in its symmetry: unlike Western and Gulf state positions that focus primarily on Iranian aggression, the Russia-UAE joint statement treats both Iranian attacks on Gulf states and US-Israeli attacks on Iran as equally requiring cessation. Russia's positioning reflects its dual status: an Iranian ally seeking to prevent regime collapse, while also maintaining Gulf relationships worth billions in trade and investment. The UAE's willingness to issue a symmetric statement alongside Russia is significant — it reflects the Emirates' pragmatic foreign policy and refusal to join any formal anti-Iran coalition despite absorbing Iranian attacks. The UAE has maintained diplomatic and economic ties with Russia throughout the Ukraine war and is now leveraging that relationship in the Iran conflict context. The Lavrov-Abdullah call represents the Russia-UAE diplomatic track as a potential third channel alongside Oman and Qatar.