Russia expects positive news on the resumption of diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation around Iran, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, state news agency TASS reported on April 21.

Moscow has emerged as one of Tehran's most vocal international backers during the war, with Lavrov declaring uranium enrichment Iran's sovereign right and saying Russia was prepared to play a role in resolving the question of Iranian enriched uranium.

Lavrov was speaking at the start of talks in Moscow with acting Libyan Foreign Minister Taher Al Baour.

"We are paying special attention at this stage to the crisis in the Persian Gulf zone, a crisis that resulted from the unprovoked aggression of the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran," Lavrov said. Both Russia and Libya wanted the swiftest cessation of any recurrence of the use of force and the establishment of a sustainable political and diplomatic process.

"We hope that the information coming in at this very moment will be positive in terms of the resumption of diplomatic efforts, because only in this way can existing disagreements be resolved while ensuring the interests of all, I repeat, every single one of the states in the region, including our Arab friends in the Gulf," Lavrov said.

The Russian foreign minister confirmed Moscow was ready to facilitate the normalisation of relations between the Arab monarchies of the Gulf and Iran.

"For several years now, we have been working to mobilise academia and political science circles to formulate a security concept for the Persian Gulf. And it is our belief that the recent events involving the attack on Iran and its devastating consequences for the coastal Arab states all dictate the relevance and even the urgency of additional efforts towards the normalisation of relations between the Gulf's coastal states," Lavrov said.

He added that Libya and Russia shared common assessments of developments in the world, including in the Middle East and North Africa.

Russia's offer to mediate between the Arab Gulf states and Iran comes as the UAE has opened talks with the US on a potential dollar currency swap line amid fears of a deeper crisis, and as China has dispatched three warships towards the Strait of Hormuz in response to the US seizure of the Iranian vessel Touska.

Lavrov's remarks coincide with the expected arrival in Pakistan of US Vice President JD Vance for a second round of talks with Iran, alongside White House advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

The Pakistan-brokered ceasefire between Iran and the US-Israeli coalition expires on April 22.