YEREVAN, October 1. /TASS/: The presidents of Russia and Iran, Vladimir Putin and Hassan Rouhani, will meet in Yerevan on Tuesday to discuss the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and breaking the deadlock over the Iranian nuclear deal, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"[The sides will discuss] tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and certainly the situation with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [on the Iranian nuclear problem]," Peskov said commenting on the talks’ agenda.
He recalled that the 60-day deadline set by Iran was expiring, prompting Tehran to take further steps to scale back its commitments under the JCPOA. "This is certainly an issue for concerns. So far, all initiatives, for example by France, have failed to produce desirable results and the situation remains tense," Peskov said.
Tensions in the Persian Gulf flared up on July 19 after the UK-flagged tanker Stena Impero was detained in the Strait of Hormuz by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an elite military force of the Islamic Republic. According to the IRGC, the vessel was seized for "the violations of international maritime regulations" and was escorted to the shore for a check.
The US State Department later declared that Washington was setting up a coalition to safeguard strategic waters in the Persian Gulf. Australia, Bahrein, the UK, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have said they were joining the US-led maritime coalition.
On Monday, Iranian Government Spokesman Ali Rabiei said Tehran was ready for talks with all Persian Gulf states on setting up a regional coalition to ensure security. On September 23, Rouhani called on all Persian Gulf countries to join Iran’s initiative on ensuring safe navigation in the region. He presented the "Hormuz Peace Initiative" project on September 25 at the UN General Assembly’s session. According to him, the coalition will be based on important UN principles and goals such as dialogue, respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, inviolability of international borders, peaceful settlement of all disputes, non-aggression and non-interference in domestic affairs.
