Moscow has condemned President Trump’s threats to bomb Iran, deeming them “illegal and unacceptable.”
Trump has recently escalated his rhetoric, suggesting potential direct conflict if Iran doesn’t cease arming the Houthi group or abandon its nuclear ambitions. Russia stated on Thursday its commitment to finding solutions for Iran’s nuclear program that respect its right to peaceful nuclear energy.
“The use of military force by Iran’s opponents in the context of the settlement is illegal and unacceptable,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova reportedly said.
“Threats from outside to bomb Iran’s nuclear infrastructure facilities will inevitably lead to an irreversible global catastrophe. These threats are simply unacceptable,” she added.
Rebekah Koffler, a former DIA intelligence officer specializing in Russia’s war-fighting strategy and Putin’s thinking, told Digital on Thursday that “Russia’s statement aligns with its diplomatic stance as Iran’s strategic partner.”
“In reality, Russia and Iran are not natural allies. They share a turbulent history and considerable distrust. The Russians don’t trust Iranians to have a fully operational militarized nuclear capability,” she continued. “But they would never admit it publicly. During the Obama administration, Moscow sided with Washington on economic sanctions against Iran and complied with the request not to sell S-300s air defense missiles to Tehran.”
“Putin aims to mediate between the Trump administration and the Iranian government on the nuclear issue,” she also stated.
Trump’s offer, via a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, to restart talks on dismantling Tehran’s nuclear weapons program, was rejected on Sunday.
Trump told NBC the day before, “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing.”
“But there’s a chance that if they don’t make a deal, that I will do secondary tariffs on them like I did four years ago,” he added.
Secondary “tariffs,” or sanctions, would entail imposing financial penalties on countries that conduct business with Iran.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian stated on Sunday, “We don’t avoid talks; the breach of promises has caused issues for us so far,” according to The Associated Press. He added, “They must prove that they can build trust.”
Iran is enriching uranium to 60%, nearing the 90% weapons-grade level. Experts suggest Iran could develop a nuclear weapon within weeks if it proceeded with the final steps. Digital reported in late March that Iran has enriched enough uranium to potentially manufacture six nuclear weapons, according to a U.N. atomic agency report.
’ Benjamin Weinthal, Caitlin McFall and Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
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