Lavrov Says No Evidence of Iran Producing Nuclear Weapons
09:50 GMT 03.03.2026 (Updated: 10:36 GMT 03.03.2026)
© Sputnik / Sergey Guneev
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - No one has yet seen evidence of Iran developing nuclear weapons, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.
The minister called the US-Israeli aggression against Iran a war and called for an immediate cessation hostilities, adding that he does not expect any sanctions against the US and Israel for the attack on Iran.
"We still do not see evidence that Iran was developing nuclear weapons, which was the main, if not the only justification for the war. There are confirmations from the IAEA, as well as from American professional intelligence officers. Evidence that Iran has not produced or attempted to produce nuclear weapons," Lavrov told reporters after talks with Second Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Brunei Darusalam Erywan Yusof.
Sergey Lavrov said that he had discussed "very complex and worsening" issues in international politics that are impacting every country with Second Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Brunei Darussalam Erywan Yusof.
"Yesterday, in an informal atmosphere, we began discussing current, very complex and worsening problems in international politics – problems that are affecting all countries without exception, including, in many cases, countries in the Middle East and Southeast Asia," Lavrov said.
Lavrov said that he believes that US's actions will not be limited to Venezuela, Cuba and Iran.
"[US Secretary of State Marco] Rubio, responding to a reporter's question, recently suggested that the United States would govern Iran in the same way they announced they would govern Venezuela. Now a similar scheme is being tried on for Cuba. And, probably, this is not the end," Lavrov said.
Dialogue between Russia and the United States at different levels and in different formats continues, Lavrov said, adding that there is a need for comprehensive bilateral dialogue about how they see world and what role assign to everyone else in it.
🚨 US actions won't be limited to Venezuela, Cuba and Iran - Lavrov
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"[US Secretary of State Marco] Rubio, responding to a reporter's question, recently suggested that the United States would govern Iran in the same way they announced they would govern Venezuela. Now a similar… https://t.co/kiJzXkID2F pic.twitter.com/TelVTw0UAd
It is unrealistic to demand that Iran, the only one in the whole world, renounce the right to enrich uranium, Lavrov said.
"It is probably not very realistic to say that Iran should be the only one in the world to give up this right, which belongs to all other states," Lavrov told reporters after talks with Second Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Brunei Darusalam Erywan Yusof.
Russia is open to dialogue with the United States and Israel on the situation in the Middle East, and the Russian side has never interrupted this dialogue, Sergey Lavrov said.
"Under all circumstances [we are] open to dialogue with them [the United States] and with Israel, we have never interrupted this dialogue," Lavrov told reporters after talks with Second Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Brunei Darusalam Erywan Yusof.
There is no clarity about what exactly the US is pursuing in Iran, the minister added.
Russia has questions about the grounds used by the United States to explain the start of its operation against Iran, Sergey Lavrov said.
On Saturday, the United States and Israel launched strikes on targets in Iran, including in Tehran, causing damage and civilian casualties. Iran retaliated with strikes against Israeli territory, as well as against US military bases across the Middle East.
"Maybe [US Special Envoy] Steve Witkoff spoke out unsuccessfully, but if that was the reason for the aggression, it raises many questions," Lavrov told reporters after talks with Second Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Brunei Darusalam Erywan Yusof.
The war unleashed against Iran may stimulate movement in favor of the creation of nuclear weapons not only by Tehran, but also by its neighbors, Lavrov said.
"This war that has now been unleashed against Iran, firstly, it can stimulate the movement in favor of developing nuclear weapons, and not only in Iran. Such a movement will immediately appear in the countries, the Arab countries that are neighboring the Islamic Republic of Iran," Lavrov told reporters after talks with Second Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Brunei Darusalam Erywan Yusof.
There is a growing risk that the problem of nuclear nonproliferation will begin to spiral out of control, the minister said, noting that Russia will continue to advocate for the compliance with principles of nuclear arms non-proliferation.
Russia will try to use its ties with Iran to prevent strikes on Gulf states, Lavrov said.
"We will strive to use our capabilities in relations, including with the Islamic Republic of Iran, to ensure that this problem does not escalate further and that it is closed," Lavrov told reporters after talks with Second Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Brunei Darusalam Erywan Yusof.
On Saturday, the United States and Israel launched strikes on targets in Iran, including in Tehran, causing damage and civilian casualties. Iran retaliated with strikes against Israeli territory, as well as against US military bases across the Middle East.
