Rabat – Russia has sharply criticized the United States over its ongoing attacks against Iran, accusing Washington of inventing a threat as a pretext to overthrow the Iranian government.
At a press briefing in Moscow, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the US used nuclear negotiations with Iran as a cover for a broader plan to push for regime change. She claimed that recent attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities show that Washington’s real goal is not diplomacy but destabilization.
Russia is convinced there is no military solution to this crisis, Zakharova said, adding that they are ready to support efforts based on international law.
The accusations come as the war between the US, Israel, and Iran continues to expand across the region. Iranian officials say more than 800 people have been killed in recent strikes.
A United Nations panel of experts said it was “deeply disturbed” by reports that at least 165 girls and staff were killed in what was reportedly US-Israeli attack on a school in the southern city of Minab. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child stressed that children must be protected during war.
Criticism of the US campaign has also come from Western leaders. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the strikes appear inconsistent with international law. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned that a war with Iran could lead to a wider global disaster, comparing the situation to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
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Analysts have questioned Washington’s motives. Some argue the attacks were launched during sensitive nuclear negotiations. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused US President Donald Trump of “betraying diplomacy” by bombing in the middle of talks.
The fighting has spread beyond Iran’s borders. A drone struck the headquarters of an Iranian Kurdish opposition group in the town of Dekala in northern Iraq, wounding two fighters. Iran has long accused Kurdish groups in Iraq of launching attacks against it and has previously targeted their bases.
Meanwhile across the Gulf, countries including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates say they have intercepted Iranian drones and missiles. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have expanded their aggression in Lebanon, displacing more than 65,000 people, according to Lebanese officials.
Global markets have reacted to the war, and oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz face disruption.
