Russia on Saturday condemned as 鈥渁 preplanned and unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent U.N. member state,鈥� demanding an immediate halt to the military campaign and a return to diplomacy.
In a statement posted to Telegram, the Foreign Ministry accused 鈥淲ashington and Tel Aviv鈥� of 鈥渉iding behind鈥� concerns about Iran鈥檚 nuclear program while actually pursuing regime change.
It warned the attacks risked triggering a 鈥渉umanitarian, economic and possibly radiological catastrophe鈥� in the region and accused the U.S. and Israel of 鈥減lunging the Middle East into an abyss of uncontrolled escalation.鈥�
Russia has emerged as a key and technologies for Iran, which has faced bruising international sanctions. Though Russia鈥檚 Foreign Ministry was quick to condemn the U.S.-Israeli attacks, the Kremlin will likely carefully assess its response following between Moscow and Washington.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 efforts to mediate an end to the conflict in Ukraine, and Moscow and Washington have discussed ways to revive their economic ties.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke by phone with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said. Araghchi briefed Lavrov on Iran鈥檚 attempts to repel the attacks and said Iran would seek to convene an urgent U.N. Security Council session, it said. Lavrov reiterated Russia鈥檚 condemnation of the U.S.-Israeli strikes and Moscow鈥檚 readiness to help broker peace.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin discussed the situation in Iran with Russia’s Security Council via videoconference, but did not give details.
In the Foreign Ministry statement, Moscow called the bombing of nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards 鈥渦nacceptable鈥� and said it stood ready to help broker a peaceful resolution, while placing full responsibility for the escalation on the United States and Israel.
“Responsibility for the negative consequences of this manmade crisis, including an unpredictable chain reaction and spiraling violence, lies entirely with them,” the statement said.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry also condemned what it called 鈥渢he serial nature of destabilizing attacks carried out by the U.S. administration,” accusing the U.S. of attacking “the international legal pillars of the world order.”
Russia has maintained a delicate balancing act in the Middle East for decades, trying to navigate its warm relations with Israel even as it has developed strong economic and military
Iranian forces and Russian sailors conducted annual drills in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean last week aimed at 鈥渦pgrading operational coordination as well as exchange of military experiences,鈥� Iran鈥檚 state-run IRNA news agency reported.
Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, signed a broad cooperation pact in January last year as their countries deepened their partnership in the face of stinging Western sanctions.
The West alleges that in 2022, signed a $1.7 billion deal for Shahed drones after Putin sent troops into Ukraine, and the U.S. also believes Iran has , but neither Moscow nor Tehran ever acknowledged the actions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced support for the strikes on Iran, calling it “an accomplice of Putin鈥� for supplying Moscow with Shahed drones and the technology to produce them and other weapons during its four-year war against Ukraine.
Russia and Iran also pooled their efforts to shore up Bashar Assad鈥檚 government during Syria鈥檚 civil war, but failed to prevent after a lightning offensive by the opposition. Assad and his family fled to Russia.
Some observers in Moscow argue that the focus on the confrontation between Israel and Iran could distract global attention from the and play into Russia鈥檚 hands by potentially weakening Western support for Kyiv.
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This story was first published on Feb. 28, 2026. It was updated on March 2, 2026, to make clear that the Russian statement on the strikes itself used Tel Aviv as a stand-in for Israel.
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