Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called for Iran to be included in a regional security framework for the Gulf, saying its participation would be an important step towards regional stability, according to Turkish news agency Anadolu.

Lavrov's remarks came as he discussed the Makkah Joint Defence Pact signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye on August 7 as a possible framework for broader regional security cooperation. The trilateral agreement provides for collective security and defence cooperation among the three countries, with the Strategic Political and Defence Committee established under the pact holding its inaugural meeting in Istanbul on August 31.

The pact was signed amid heightened tensions in the Middle East following the conflict that began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran and targeted its senior leadership. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had also previously signed a mutual defence agreement under which aggression against either country would be treated as an attack on both.

Lavrov made the remarks on Monday while speaking to students and faculty at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), where he outlined Moscow's long-standing approach to security cooperation in the Gulf. He recalled that Russia had proposed more than two decades ago that Gulf countries, including the Arab countries and Iran, consider holding a meeting to develop a regional security concept, emphasizing dialogue and confidence-building measures.