Amid the turmoil in the Middle East following the U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities, Iran and Russia have decided to hold an emergency meeting.
On the 22nd (local time), Abbas Araghchi, Iran's foreign minister, who visited Istanbul, Turkey, noted that he is scheduled to move to Moscow on the 23rd to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed concern in a statement, stating that "regardless of the reasons, the irresponsible decision to attack the territory of a sovereign state with missiles and bombs is a clear violation of international law, the United Nations Charter, and United Nations Security Council resolutions," and warned that "dangerous tensions have already begun to escalate, creating a situation that could further threaten regional and global security."
It called for an immediate cessation of military action and a political and diplomatic resolution, expressing expectation for active intervention by the United Nations Security Council and a clear stance from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Russia emphasized that the recent airstrikes seriously undermined the nuclear non-proliferation regime.
High-ranking Russian officials also united in criticizing the United States. Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, targeted former President Donald Trump, stating, "Trump, who claimed to be a peace mediator, has now dragged the U.S. into another war," adding, "If this is success, the Nobel Peace Prize is a distant conversation."
Leonid Slutsky, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Russian State Duma, dismissed the U.S. airstrikes as lacking both military necessity and legal justification, stating, "Iran's retaliation is inevitable, and all of this will escalate the vicious cycle of conflict to a new level, increasing the risk of a third world war."