Russia and China have voiced strong opposition to the US and Israeli attacks on Iran, with Moscow saying it has seen no evidence that Tehran is developing nuclear weapons, while Beijing called for an immediate halt to the joint attacks.
Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, on Tuesday, criticising the strikes, reports Al Jazeera.
According to a statement from China’s Foreign Ministry, Wang said the attacks came at a time when negotiations between Washington and Tehran had “made significant progress, including addressing Israel’s security concerns”.
“Regrettably, this process has been interrupted by military action. China opposes any military strikes launched by Israel and the US against Iran,” Wang told Saar during the phone call.
He added, “China calls for an immediate cessation of military operations to prevent the further escalation and loss of control of the conflict.”
“Force cannot truly solve problems; instead, it will bring new problems and serious long-term consequences,” Wang warned.
According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Saar agreed to a request from Wang to take “concrete measures to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and institutions” in Iran.
The discussions between Israel and China came after Wang’s calls on Monday with the foreign ministers of Iran, Oman, and France, reflecting Beijing’s efforts to stabilise the rapidly escalating regional situation.
Lavrov warns of Nuclear Proliferation
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also condemned the US and Israel on Tuesday, arguing that their campaign against Iran could produce the very outcome they aim to prevent: nuclear proliferation.
Lavrov told a news conference that the logical consequence of the US and Israel’s actions could be that “forces will emerge in Iran… in favour of doing exactly what the Americans want to avoid – acquiring a nuclear bomb”.
“Because the US doesn’t attack those who have nuclear bombs,” he said.
Lavrov also said that Arab countries could now join the race to acquire nuclear weapons, given the experience of recent days and “the nuclear proliferation problem will begin to spiral out of control”. Israel is widely regarded as the Middle East’s only nuclear-armed state, which it neither confirms nor denies.
“The seemingly paradoxical declared noble goal of starting a war to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons could stimulate completely opposite trends,” he said.
He added that Moscow had not seen any evidence that Iran is developing nuclear weapons and spoke with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, on Tuesday.
Lavrov reiterated Russia’s readiness to help find a diplomatic solution, while denouncing the US and Israel’s “unprovoked military aggression” in the region.
Moscow labels attacks “Premeditated”
Following the first US and Israeli strikes on Iran on Saturday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry accused the two allies of carrying out a “premeditated and unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent UN member state”.
The ministry claimed that Washington and Tel Aviv had concealed their true objective of regime change in Tehran “under the cover” of normalising negotiations.
The statement warned that the attacks were “swiftly pushing the region toward a humanitarian, economic, and potentially even radiological disaster”, adding, “Responsibility for the negative consequences of this manmade crisis, including an unpredictable chain reaction and spiralling violence, lies entirely with them.”
Russia itself has faced accusations of aggression after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now in its fifth year.
