Amid its war against Ukraine, Russia condemns US strikes on Iran as 'violating international law'
Moscow condemned on June 22 the recent U.S. strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, calling them a violation of international law and Iran's sovereignty, a statement in stark contrast to Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on June 21 that the U.S. air strikes targeted three nuclear sites in Iran, Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan, joining Israel's campaign against Iran's nuclear program amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
"The irresponsible decision to subject the territory of a sovereign state to missile and bomb strikes, no matter what arguments are used, is grossly violating international law, the U.N. Charter, and the resolutions of the U.N. Security Council," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also warned of possible radiological consequences, despite Moscow's own record of repeatedly placing nuclear facilities at risk during its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and threatening to use nuclear weapons.
Russia and Iran are close strategic partners, with Tehran providing Moscow with ballistic missiles and thousands of Shahed attack drones for its war against Ukraine.
Moscow has diplomatically backed Iran after Israel launched the initial air strikes against Iranian military and nuclear targets on June 13, an operation that sparked further waves of aerial attacks from both sides.
In its statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry urged a response from the U.N. Security Council, saying that "the confrontational actions of the U.S. and Israel must be collectively rejected."
"Of particular concern is the damage caused by the attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities to the global non-proliferation regime based on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT)."
Israel has increasingly warned that Iran is developing a nuclear weapon, an assertion backed by Trump despite U.S. intelligence previously disputing the claim. Tehran has rejected having a nuclear weapons program.
Though Trump announced a complete "obliteration" of Iran's nuclear enrichment facilities in the recent attacks, the scale of damage is not immediately clear. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had detected no increase in radiation at the targeted sites, while the Iranian state media and officials sought to downplay the damage.
Iran has called for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council in the wake of the attacks. Both the U.S. and Russia hold a permanent seat and a veto power in the council.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump for the operation, saying, "First comes strength, then comes peace. And tonight, (President Donald) Trump and the United States acted with a lot of strength.
In turn, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the U.S. "has committed a grave violation of the U.N. Charter, international law and the NPT by attacking Iran's peaceful nuclear installations."
Washington's European partners have issued cautious responses to the U.S. attacks, calling for a diplomatic resolution while affirming that Iran's nuclear program is a danger to international security.
"Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, as it would be a threat to international security," top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas said on X.
"I urge all sides to step back, return to the negotiating table, and prevent further escalation."
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