The Russian government on Sunday “strongly condemned” the United States’ strikes the day before against three key Iranian nuclear facilities and is preparing to hold direct talks with Iranian officials to address the fallout.
Why It Matters
Trump on Saturday evening announced what he described as a “very successful attack” against three Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.
U.S. officials said the attacks caused severe damage, but questions remain about the full extent of the damage and how much of a setback it is for Iran’s nuclear program.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the Trump administration for taking an offensive position in the conflict, which Israeli officials have strongly advocated for since Israel first ignited the war on June 13.
The Israelis said the U.S. should strike Iran’s nuclear facilities because Tehran was getting close to developing a nuclear weapon. Iran denies the charge, saying its nuclear program is for civilian purposes.
Iran vowed to retaliate after Saturday’s strikes, accusing the U.S. of crossing “a very big red line” with its decision to pummel the three nuclear sites with 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs.
What To Know
“It is already clear that a dangerous escalation has begun, fraught with further undermining of regional and global security,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement addressing the U.S.’s strikes. “The risk of the conflict spreading in the Middle East, which is already gripped by multiple crises, has increased significantly.”
Russia also called the strikes “irresponsible” and a “gross violation of international law.”
Iran and Russia will hold talks in the aftermath of the U.S. strikes and Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said hours after the attacks that he will travel to Moscow while emphasizing Iran’s “strategic partnership” with Russia.
A top Russian official and close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin also skewered Trump on social media after he announced the U.S.’s strikes on Iran.
“The US is now entangled in a new conflict, with prospects of a ground operation looming on the horizon,” Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, wrote in a thread on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday.
Medvedev went on to praise Iran’s “political regime,” saying it “survived” the strikes and “in all likelihood, has come out even stronger.”
“Donald Trump, once hailed as ‘president of peace,’ has now pushed the US into another war,” he wrote. “The vast majority of countries around the world oppose the actions of Israel and the United States.”
“At this rate, Trump can forget about the Nobel Peace Prize — not even with how rigged it has become,” Medvedev added. “What a way to kick things off, Mr. President. Congratulations!”
Trump, for his part, said on social media after that if Iran retaliated against the U.S., it would “BE MET WITH FORCE FAR GREATER THAN WHAT WAS WITNESSED TONIGHT.”
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
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