MOSCOW: Russia on Thursday warned the United States against interfering in military actions against Iran cautioning that it would be “an extremely dangerous step with truly unpredictable negative consequences”.
“We would like to especially warn Washington against military intervention in the situation, which would be an extremely dangerous step with truly unpredictable negative consequences,” Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a news briefing on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), state-run TASS news agency reported.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump left the question of whether the US will join Israeli strikes on Iran up in the air.
Addressing reporters about whether the US would enter the fray after his earlier comments, Trump said: “I can tell you this, Iran’s got a lot of trouble and they want to negotiate.”
“I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do,” Trump told reporters at the White House South Lawn.
Russia urges Israel to halt attacks
The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman called on Israel to immediately halt its attacks on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, warning that such actions are illegal under international law and endanger the safety of Russian specialists working at one of Iran’s nuclear power plants.
“We consider the Israeli side’s attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities in the Islamic Republic of Iran to be absolutely unacceptable,” Zakharova said.
“This is illegal from the point of view of international law, creates unacceptable threats to international security and pushes the world towards a nuclear catastrophe.”
Branding the Israeli strikes “unprovoked aggression,” Zakharova condemned attempts to justify them with what she described as “imaginary non-proliferation concerns,” calling such reasoning “outright cynicism.”
The warnings came amid escalating hostilities between Iran and Israel, which intensified after Israel launched a wide-ranging military operation last Friday, targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, military sites, and top scientific personnel.
Iran, which denies seeking nuclear weapons, responded with missile and drone strikes.
According to the Iranian Health Ministry, over 224 people have been killed and at least 1,800 injured. Israel reported more than 24 deaths and over 800 injuries from Iran’s missile and drone strikes.
Despite international calls for restraint, both sides continue to exchange fire, with Israel vowing to eliminate Iran’s nuclear capabilities and Tehran pledging to keep retaliating until the bombardments stop.
Putin, Xi condemn Israeli strikes
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday strongly condemned Israeli attacks on Iran in a phone call and stressed the need for a diplomatic solution, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters after the call.
He added that Moscow and Beijing believed the end to the hostilities “should be achieved exclusively by political and diplomatic means”.
Xi told Putin that a ceasefire was the “top priority” and urged Israel to halt its attacks, Chinese state media reported.
“Promoting a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities is the top priority. Armed force is not the correct way to resolve international disputes,” Xi said, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua.
“Parties to the conflict, especially Israel, should cease hostilities as soon as possible to prevent a cyclical escalation and resolutely avoid the spillover of the war,” the Chinese President added.
Last week, Putin held phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, offering himself as a peacemaker.
The Kremlin said that Xi had spoken “in favour of such mediation, since he believes that it could serve to de-escalate the current situation”, Ushakov said.
