Crosswire — October 19, 2026
DAILY BRIEFING
GEOPOLITICS
Hormuz: Moscow Shields Tehran as Shipping Attacks Peak
What changed: At the ninth Russia–Gulf Cooperation Council ministerial dialogue, Foreign Minister Lavrov said the "root causes" of the Strait of Hormuz crisis must be removed to prevent another round of open conflict. He told his Gulf hosts, in effect, not to blame Iran.
Lavrov's main points:
Implement the "Islamabad Memorandum." He called for carrying out the US–Iran understandings reached under that framework.
Blame Washington and Israel. He argued that navigation was fully free before February 28 and that the…
The skinny
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