Russia expressed hope on Sunday that efforts to de-escalate the Iran conflict would bear fruit and said the U.S. would contribute by "abandoning the language of ultimatums and returning the situation to a negotiating track."

The Russian Foreign Ministry statement was issued after a conversation between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.

It said both sides "called for efforts to avoid actions, including in the U.N. Security Council, that could undermine the remaining chances for advancing political and diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis."

Russia, it said, backed efforts to de-escalate tensions "in the interests of long-term and sustainable normalization of the situation in the Middle East, which would be facilitated by the United States abandoning the language of ultimatums and returning the situation to a negotiating track."