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Lavrov says Iran is defending itself against aggression, warning the US-Israel war could backfire and escalate nuclear risks.
Key Developments
- Lavrov says Iran is defending itself against US-Israeli aggression.
- Russia warns that the US and Israel miscalculated the prospects of a rapid war.
- Iran says Russia and China are providing political, economic, and military cooperation.
Iran Defending Itself
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday that Iran is defending itself in response to the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.
Speaking in Moscow during a press conference with Kenyan Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi, Lavrov framed Tehran’s military response as a reaction to external aggression.
“And, of course, Iran is defending itself,” Lavrov said, according to remarks reported by TASS on March 16.
Lavrov also stated that Iranian strikes are directed at the military infrastructure of those involved in the attacks, emphasizing that Tehran’s actions must be understood within the context of the war initiated against it.
The Russian foreign minister reiterated Moscow’s call for an immediate halt to hostilities and urged all sides to return to negotiations.
Lavrov said Russia remains prepared to assist diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the conflict.
“As President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated, we are ready to act as a mediator in this political process if necessary,” Lavrov said during the press conference, according to Xinhua on March 16.
Misreading the War
Lavrov also argued that Washington and Tel Aviv miscalculated the likely outcome of the military campaign against Iran.
“The United States and Israel may have misjudged the prospect of a quick military operation against Iran,” Lavrov said, according to the Chinese news agency.
He suggested that those who expected Iran to collapse rapidly under military pressure are now recognizing the limits of that assumption.
“If the planners expected to ‘completely subdue’ Iran within a day or even hours, they may now realize how mistaken that assumption was,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov noted that the war began while negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program were still underway, implying that the escalation interrupted an ongoing diplomatic process.
He also warned that the longer the conflict continues, the harder it will become to predict its consequences for the wider region.
Earlier Nuclear Warning
Lavrov’s remarks come weeks after Moscow warned that the war could trigger the very outcome its planners claim to prevent.
On March 3, Lavrov cautioned that the conflict could encourage Iran—and potentially other regional states—to pursue nuclear weapons.
“The logical consequence could be that forces emerge in Iran… in favour of doing exactly what the Americans want to avoid – acquiring a nuclear bomb,” Lavrov said, according to Reuters reporting on March 3.
“Because the US doesn’t attack those who have nuclear bombs,” he added.
Lavrov also warned that the escalation could push Arab states to pursue nuclear capabilities, risking a wider proliferation crisis across the Middle East.
Russia said it had seen no evidence that Iran was developing nuclear weapons before the war began.
“The seemingly paradoxical declared noble goal of starting a war to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons could stimulate completely opposite trends,” he said, according to Reuters.
Russia-China Cooperation
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Russia and China are cooperating with Tehran in several areas as the war continues.
According to Politico, which reported on March 15, citing an interview Araghchi gave to the broadcaster MS NOW, the Iranian foreign minister described Moscow and Beijing as strategic partners for Iran.
“We have had good cooperation with these countries: politically, economically, even militarily,” Araghchi said in the interview.
He added that cooperation between Iran and the two powers has continued despite the escalation.
“We have had close cooperation in the past, which still continues, and that includes military cooperation as well,” he said.
Iran and Russia have deepened their partnership in recent years amid Western sanctions and growing geopolitical tensions.
Moscow has repeatedly called for an immediate ceasefire and a return to negotiations while emphasizing that the conflict risks widening further if diplomatic efforts fail.
Source: (TASS, Xinhua, Reuters, Politico, Al-Mayadeen, PC)
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