Lavrov in Tehran as Iran names defence minister; Yemen attack kills 50

Russia's foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, has visited Tehran for the first time since the war began, using the trip to condemn what he called unprovoked US-Israeli aggression against Iran and to repeat Moscow's call for the conflict to end.

Lavrov said Moscow wants to prevent the return of a large-scale war. His office said talks with Iranian counterparts focused on how to resolve what it described as an acute international crisis triggered by what it called the unlawful aggression of the US and Israel. At a meeting with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, Lavrov again offered Russian help to end the conflict. Araghchi said regional issues should be resolved through diplomacy and blamed the US for tensions over the Strait of Hormuz.

The visit follows a meeting earlier this month between Russian president Vladimir Putin and Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian. Both said they wanted a diplomatic end to the war. An analyst said intense diplomatic work is taking place behind the scenes, but that this does not guarantee a breakthrough. Russia has signalled it is willing to help mediate, including possibly taking Iranian enriched uranium to Moscow for processing and returning it, or acting as a broker between Iran and the US. The results remain uncertain.

The two countries have moved from a transactional relationship to what the analyst described as an institutionalised defence alignment, with growing trade and diplomatic ties. Both are heavily sanctioned by the US and have an interest in financial arrangements that bypass the international financial order. Russia has vetoed UN Security Council resolutions against Iran. The defence relationship is now more equal: Iran has supplied Russia with munitions, Shahed drones and ballistic missile technology after the Ukraine war, while Russia has reportedly given Iran intelligence that helped it target US bases during the war and air defence systems that have not yet been delivered.

Iran's parliament has approved a new defence minister. The last permanent defence minister was killed on the first day of the war. The new minister is a defence ministry veteran who was sanctioned by the UN in 2007 over alleged involvement in nuclear or ballistic missile activities. He has vowed to rebuild Iran's military capabilities, which have been badly damaged in the war. The analyst said he has spent 42 years in the field, is a technocratic figure and has led the development of Iran's missile and military engineering technology from its early stages. The know-how remains inside Iran, including in underground or hidden places, which helps it continue missile work despite the damage.

In Yemen, at least 50 people were killed and more than 200 injured in a Houthi attack on a government military camp. The Iran-backed Houthis fired ballistic missiles at the camp in Shabwa province, it is understood. The Houthis are in a long-running war with a Saudi-supported coalition that backs Yemen's government.

France's president, Emmanuel Macron, has begun a tour of Gulf nations. He is looking for options to lower fuel costs and unblock the Strait of Hormuz.