Russia continues to issue standard condemnations following the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several other senior Iranian officials in US-Israeli strikes, while offering no other support, the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote in a report.
“Russia’s standard responses continue to emphasise its limited capacity to support Iran and the asymmetry of Russian-Iranian relations. The Kremlin is likely to remain constrained by its military actions in Ukraine and its desire to gain concessions from the United States without sacrificing its goals in Ukraine,” the analysts said.
The day before, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has deepened military and strategic ties with Iran in recent years, called the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by US and Israeli airstrikes “a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international”. In a telegram to his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, Putin expressed his “deep condolences” over the “assassination” of Khamenei and several members of his family to “the entire people of Iran,” the Kremlin press service said.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Ministry criticised the United States and Israel for “hunting” Iran’s leaders, saying it violated international law and the principles of “civilised interstate relations”.
Russian officials, including Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya, human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova and ambassador to Israel Anatoly Viktorov, expressed similar condemnations and calls for renewed dialogue.
The joint operation by the United States and Israel in the first wave of strikes on 28 February resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a significant number of other senior Iranian regime officials.
Iran’s military has attacked not only Israel or US military installations in the region with missiles and drones, but also many of its regional neighbours, which Tehran considers allies of the United States. Not only military but also civilian targets like residential buildings, hotels or airports have come under attack. Also attacked were the militaries of European countries present in the Middle East.
US President Donald Trump, when asked by the Daily Mail about the likely duration of the United States and Israel’s operation against the Iranian regime, said that “it will take four weeks or less”.
Trump told The Atlantic on 1 March that Iran’s new leadership had asked him to resume talks.