Russia is ready to act as a mediator in an effort to ease tensions in the Middle East, the Russian ambassador to Israel, Anatoly Viktorov, announced on Monday. TASR informs about it based on the report of the TASS agency.
- Russia declares its readiness to mediate dialogue between the countries of the Middle East.
- Sergey Lavrov consults the situation by telephone with several ministers of foreign affairs of the region.
- Moscow demands an immediate cessation of hostilities and a return to diplomacy.
- The United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes against Iranian military and strategic targets.
- Vladimir Putin called the assassination of Ali Khamenei a cynical crime against the law.
“Given our established relations with all countries in the region, we are ready to facilitate dialogue,” declared Viktorov. He also recalled that the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had already spoken on the phone with several departmental partners from countries in the Middle East.
According to the Russian diplomat, Moscow’s position is clear. “Hostile actions must cease immediately and all efforts should be directed towards resuming political and diplomatic solutions,” he added. He pointed out that, in his opinion, the entire region is on the verge of a large-scale conflict.
The United States and Israel launched coordinated air and missile strikes on Iranian military and strategic targets on Saturday. Iran responded with massive retaliatory missile and drone attacks on targets in Israel and on US military facilities in several Middle Eastern countries.
Russia on Saturday condemned the US and Israeli attacks on Iran as “premeditated and unprovoked armed aggression”. The State Department said the “scale and nature of the political-military and propaganda preparations,” including the move of a large US military group to the region, point to a pre-planned operation. Moscow pointed out that this is a violation of the basic principles and norms of international law against a sovereign state – a member of the UN.
Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on Sunday that the “assassination” of the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ali Khamenei, and members of his family was committed “in cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law.”
