The Russian Foreign Ministry has accused the US and Israel of seeking regime change in Iran and trying to thwart the normalization of relations between Tehran and Arab countries in the region, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
In an official statement, the ministry said that according to Moscow, it is now clear that Washington and Tel Aviv are not only aiming for regime change in Iran through "the most impure means" like the assassination of the leadership of a sovereign state, but are also trying to undermine efforts to improve relations between Iran and its Arab neighbors.
At the same time, the Kremlin said it values Washington's mediation in the peace talks on Ukraine, but relies only on itself.
“We continue to highly value the mediation efforts of the United States, but above all we rely only on ourselves and defend our own interests. This will guide us in the future,“ said Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov, quoted by TASS.
Peskov expressed “deep disappointment” at the air strikes against Iran. According to him, the United States has chosen the path of direct aggression against Tehran, although negotiations were held with Tehran at the same time.
Russia is an ally of Iran and the two countries have a strategic partnership agreement. In the past, this cooperation has also included mutual arms supplies, some of which Moscow used in the war with Ukraine. Unlike relations with North Korea, however, the partnership with Iran does not provide for mutual military assistance.
Meanwhile, it remains unclear whether the trilateral talks announced by Ukraine, planned for early March in the UAE, will take place against the backdrop of escalating tensions in the Middle East. The last such meeting was held in Geneva.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier today that a new round of US-brokered trilateral talks with Russia to end the conflict in Ukraine, which were expected to take place this week, had not been canceled after the US and Israeli strikes on Iran over the weekend, Reuters reported.