In a telephone conversation on Saturday, Rouhani and Putin discussed Moscow’s mediation in the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute as well as the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and the prospects of interaction on the Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine, the Kremlin press office reported.

The Iranian president expressed support for the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement reached after consultations among the foreign ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

“The Iranian president expressed his support for the agreements on the ceasefire for humanitarian purposes reached after the trilateral consultations of the foreign ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, and on the launch of substantive negotiations for the sake of achieving peaceful settlement as soon as possible,” the statement said, TASS reported.

“The sides held a detailed exchange of opinions on the situation in the area of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Vladimir Putin informed his Iranian counterpart in detail about the efforts being taken with Russia’s mediation to de-escalate tension in that region,” the statement added.

“The parties discussed the situation around the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action under the Iran nuclear program. The sides noted the importance of keeping in force this agreement vital for international security…,” the Kremlin added.

“The parties paid attention to the fight against the spread of the coronavirus infection, in particular, the prospects of interaction on the Russian Sputnik V vaccine,” the statement noted.

Skirmishes have been common for years along the front lines of the Karabakh disputed region, but the most recent fighting is feared could lead to mass civilian casualties.

The two sides were resisting international pressure to start talks to end the latest round of conflagrations, with each side accusing the other of instigating the fighting.

Russia said Friday that Armenia and Azerbaijan had agreed to meet in Moscow for negotiations on ending the fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh, after Putin called for talks.

On Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said a ceasefire agreement in Nagorno-Karabakh starting on 12:00 Moscow time on October 10 has been reached after trilateral consultations in Moscow.

Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of the Republic of Azerbaijan, but it has been under Armenia’s control since the early 1990s. The territory declared independence from Azerbaijan in 1991.

Speaking to reporters in Mashhad on Tuesday, the defense minister said border security is the vital issue for the Iranian Armed Forces.

He added that Iran has already given Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan “serious warning” after their mortar Karabakh shells hit Iran by mistake.

“The lives of citizens and the security of the holy soil of Islamic Iran are vital and significant issues, and it is by no means acceptable that bullets hit our country’s territory due to carelessness.”

Brigadier General Hatami warned that Iran will definitely adopt broader measures if the warring sides in the Nagorno-Karabakh war continue to make such mistakes.

On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to be careful not to violate Iran’s border amid the outbreak of the new round of fighting.

His comments came after officials in Iran’s northwestern province of East Azarbaijan reported that mortar shells fired by the warring sides in the latest round of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan have hit border rural areas in the province.

According to reports, one of the mortars has fallen in a village in Khoda Afrin county, injuring a 6-year-old child.

Speaking at a weekly press conference on Monday, Saeed Khatibzadeh said Iran has formulated a plan within the framework of the principles that it has maintained since the outbreak of fighting between its neighbors.

Highlighting Iran’s good relations with both parties involved in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, he said Tehran has tried to stay in contact with Baku, Yerevan, and other regional actors to end the war.

There is no military solution to the decades-old dispute between Baku and Yerevan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, he added, stressing that the two sides must stop armed clashes immediately and begin scheduled political talks.

“We hope that both sides would refrain from continuing the war and violence,” he added.

The spokesman noted that Iran is monitoring the developments near its northwestern border carefully and sensitively, adding, “Iran cannot tolerate clashes near its border, particularly violation of its border.”

Khatibzadeh also stressed that Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity should be respected and the occupied territories should be evacuated following a flare-up of tensions in the disputed region.

Iran has made it clear that the fundamental principle in the conflict is that civilians should be protected, the spokesman underlined, saying it is unacceptable for Tehran to see any harm to ordinary people in the war.

He called for collective efforts to end the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have exchanged heavy rocket and artillery fire, with each side accusing the other of targeting civilian areas as the fighting over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh intensified.

Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry said on Sunday one civilian was killed and four wounded in an Armenian rocket attack on its second city of Ganja, and Baku threatened to retaliate by destroying military targets inside Armenia.

The military forces of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan started a new round of clashes over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh on Sunday, the heaviest fighting between the two countries in years.

While the military forces from both sides accuse each other of operations leading to the major escalation, Tasnim News Agency has held interviews with the ambassadors of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan about the fresh violence.

In a face-to-face interview, Azeri Ambassador Bunyad Hasanov voiced his country’s readiness for both political and military solutions to the conflict, stressing that Armenian forces must leave “the occupied soil of Azerbaijan”.

“We have always told Armenia that there is a peaceful solution to the conflict through dialogue provided that the armed forces leave the Azeri soil and the occupied territories, but Armenia has always taken advantage of the situation and violated the ceasefire,” he added.

He also lashed out at Armenia for targeting the ordinary people of Azerbaijan after breaching the ceasefire deal, not only in the “occupied Karabakh” but also at the border areas.

Hasanov said Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who was a journalist in the past, is trying to set up a show to weather the crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic over the past four months and the problems with former allies.

The ambassador also underlined that Baku is ready for both military and political solutions to settle the crisis, saying the one and only condition to resolve the issue is for the Armenian armed forces to leave “the occupied soil of Azerbaijan”.

Also in a written interview, Tasnim asked the ambassador of Armenia questions about the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.

Artashes Tumanyan said the reason for the outbreak of violence is the Republic of Azerbaijan’s “harsh and extremist stances, staying away from the peace negotiations process, and (sticking to) the idea of military settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh dispute”.

The Armenian envoy also said that the Azeri side had already defined the magnitude and area of clashes. “In fact, the military and political leadership of Azerbaijan has withdrawn from the process of peace talks and is willing to solve the problem with war.”

Armenia’s stance is clear and internationally-accepted, according to which the dispute has no military solution, the envoy added.

Asked how long the fighting may continue, Tumanyan said, “Under the conditions that a full-blown military operation is underway, it is difficult to make predictions, specifically when Azerbaijan has attacked and violated Armenian soil.”

The ambassador reaffirmed Armenia’s determination to “protect the safety of Artsakh’ residents vigorously.”