The Russian President condemns the Israeli strikes on Iran

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday condemned the Israeli strikes on Iran, calling them a “dangerous escalation” and warning of “destructive repercussions for the entire region”.

Putin held separate phone calls with his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a statement from the Kremlin.

The Russian presidency said that Putin stressed that Russia condemns Israel’s steps, which constitute a violation of the UN Charter and international law.

The Kremlin noted that he expressed to Netanyahu his readiness to play a mediating role to avoid a further escalation in tensions, and that he warned of the danger of… devastating repercussions for the entire region.

The Russian president stressed the importance of reaching a solution to the Iranian nuclear issue through political and diplomatic means exclusively, amid ongoing US-Iranian talks on the matter.

For its part, the Iranian presidency reported that Pezeshkian reiterated to Putin that Tehran doesn’t intend to develop nuclear weapons and is always ready to provide guarantees in this regard to specialized international bodies.

Earlier on Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli strikes on Iran, describing them as unacceptable and unjustified.

From its part, the Russian Foreign Ministry declared in a statement that “unjustified military strikes against a sovereign UN member state, its citizens, peaceful, sleeping cities, and nuclear and energy facilities are absolutely unacceptable”.

Russian news agencies also quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying, “Russia is concerned and condemns the sharp escalation of tension”.

Senior Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have condemned Israel’s attacks in Gaza, although Russia has so far maintained good relations with Israel.

Earlier this week, the Kremlin defended Iran’s right to develop a peaceful nuclear program.

Russia considered the Israeli night raids against Iran as malicious in light of the ongoing negotiations between Washington and Tehran regarding Iran’s nuclear program.

Moscow reiterated that a settlement to the Iranian nuclear issue can only be reached diplomatically, and called on both sides to exercise restraint.

Meanwhile, the Russian embassy in Israel advised its citizens not to travel there.