Moscow: Russia Saturday condemned the US-Israeli joint strikes on Iran, qualifying it as an “unprovoked” aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international law and called for immediate return to diplomacy.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also described the US and Israeli forces’ strikes against the Iranian territory as “a pre-planned” act of aggression against an independent UN member state.
The US and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran early Saturday, which came after days of build-up with US President Donald Trump ramping up the pressure on Tehran to agree to a new deal on its nuclear programme.
“The scale and nature of the military, political, and propaganda preparations preceding this reckless move, including the deployment of a large US military force to the region, leave no doubt that this was a pre-planned and unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent UN member state, in violation of the fundamental principles and norms of international law,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It condemned that the attacks are being carried out under the guise of a renewed negotiation process.
The strikes were carried out despite Israel’s signals to Russia that Tel Aviv has no interest in military confrontation with the Islamic Republic, the Foreign Ministry statement said.
“Washington and Tel Aviv have once again embarked on a dangerous adventure that is rapidly bringing the region closer to a humanitarian, economic, and, quite possibly, radiological catastrophe.
“The aggressors’ intentions are clear and have been declared quite openly: to destroy the constitutional order and eliminate the leadership of an undesirable state that has refused to submit to the dictates of force and hegemony,” the ministry said and added that the responsibility for the negative consequences lies entirely with them.
Moscow urged the international community, including the leadership of the UN and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to immediately provide an objective and uncompromising assessment of these irresponsible actions aimed at undermining peace, stability, and security in West Asia.
It also expressed particular concern at the “serial nature of the destabilising attacks carried out by the US Administration over the past few months on the international legal pillars of world order, including non-interference in internal affairs, renunciation of the threat or use of force, and the peaceful resolution of international disputes.”
The ministry alleged that Washington and Tel Aviv have “once again embarked on a dangerous adventure that is rapidly bringing the region closer to a humanitarian, economic, and, quite possibly, radiological catastrophe.”
“The aggressors’ intentions are clear and have been declared quite openly: to destroy the constitutional order and eliminate the leadership of an undesirable state that has refused to submit to the dictates of force and hegemony,” it said, and warned of grave consequences of these ill-considered steps for the global non-proliferation regime, the cornerstone of which is the NPT.
Moscow demanded an immediate return to the path of political and diplomatic resolution, the statement said, adding, Russia, as before, stands ready to facilitate the search for peaceful solutions based on international law, mutual respect, and a balance of interests.
