Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, June 23rd, slammed attacks on Iran as “unprovoked” and “unjustified” in a meeting with Tehran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, but did not announce any concrete support to his key ally in the Middle East.
Moscow is a crucial backer of Iran, but has not swung forcefully behind its partner even as the United States launched strikes on its nuclear facilities over the weekend.
Putin did not single out the U.S. attacks, talking instead broadly of “strikes” against Iran, though the Kremlin had earlier said it condemned and regretted the U.S. strikes.
“There has been a new escalation of tensions in the region, and, of course, we condemn this and express our deep regret in this regard,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
China urged Iran and Israel on Monday to de-escalate in order to prevent the “spillover” of their war.
Beijing said the international community must do more to prevent fighting between Iran and Israel from impacting the global economy, noting the “Persian Gulf and surrounding waters are important international trade routes.”
