Russia on Saturday strongly condemned the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran, describing them as “a preplanned and unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent U.N. member state” and urged an immediate halt to the military operations and a return to diplomacy.
In a statement on Telegram, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused “Washington and Tel Aviv” of using concerns over Iran’s nuclear program as a cover for pursuing regime change. It warned that the attacks could trigger a “humanitarian, economic, and possibly radiological catastrophe” in the region and said the actions risk plunging the Middle East into “an abyss of uncontrolled escalation.”
Russia, a major trade partner and arms supplier to Iran, condemned the attacks but is expected to carefully assess its response, given recent warming ties with the United States. Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised U.S. President Donald Trump’s mediation efforts in Ukraine, and Moscow and Washington have been in talks to revive economic relations.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke by phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who briefed him on Iran’s attempts to repel the attacks and said Tehran would seek to convene an urgent U.N. Security Council session. Lavrov reiterated Russia’s condemnation and Moscow’s readiness to help broker peace. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin discussed the situation with Russia’s Security Council via videoconference.
The statement called the bombing of nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards “unacceptable” and placed full responsibility for the escalation on the U.S. and Israel. It said, “Responsibility for the negative consequences of this manmade crisis, including an unpredictable chain reaction and spiraling violence, lies entirely with them.”
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Russia also criticized what it called repeated destabilizing attacks by the U.S., accusing Washington of undermining the “international legal pillars of the world order.”
Historically, Russia has balanced its Middle East relations carefully, maintaining warm ties with Israel while deepening economic and military cooperation with Iran. Last week, Iranian forces and Russian sailors conducted joint drills in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean to enhance operational coordination and exchange military experience, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.
In January last year, Putin and Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian signed a broad cooperation pact amid Western sanctions. The West alleges that Russia and Iran signed a $1.7 billion deal for Shahed drones in 2022, and the U.S. claims Iran transferred short-range missiles to Moscow, though neither side has confirmed these claims.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced support for the strikes, calling Iran “an accomplice of Putin” for supplying drones and weapons technology during Russia’s war in Ukraine. Russia and Iran also backed Syrian President Bashar Assad during the civil war, though Assad ultimately fled to Russia following an opposition offensive.
Some analysts in Moscow say the Israel-Iran confrontation could divert global attention from the war in Ukraine and potentially weaken Western support for Kyiv.