Russia “strongly condemns” Israel’s strikes on Iran, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday. According to the ministry, the attack violates the UN Charter and international law, and could cause a dangerous escalation of tensions in the Middle East.
Earlier on Friday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it carried out a series of attacks targeting military and nuclear sites in Iran. Iranian media reported that several senior military commanders, including IRGC commander Hossein Salami and Deputy Chief of Army Staff Gholam Ali Rashid, and at least six nuclear scientists were killed in the strikes.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation aimed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. The attack came just two days before the sixth round of US-Iran nuclear talks scheduled for Sunday in Oman.
“We strongly condemn the violent action of the State of Israel,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “Unprovoked military strikes against a sovereign UN member state, its citizens, sleeping peaceful cities, and nuclear energy infrastructure facilities are categorically unacceptable.”
The ministry noted that the timing of the attacks – amid a session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors and ahead of another round of nuclear talks – “adds particular cynicism” to the situation.
“The hard-won multilateral efforts to reduce confrontation and find solutions that eliminate any suspicions and prejudices regarding Iran’s peaceful nuclear energy have been undermined and set back,” it added, accusing Israel of making “a conscious choice to further escalate tensions” with the strikes.
“There have been repeated warnings about the danger of military actions that threaten stability and security in the region. Responsibility for all the consequences of this provocation will fall on the Israeli leadership,” the ministry stated.
