Senior Russian officials have condemned the United States’ recent military strikes on Iran, warning of a spiralling regional conflict and accusing U.S. President Donald Trump of igniting a "new war" that could backfire by strengthening Iran's leadership.
A top Russian security official, Dmitry Medvedev, has sharply criticised U.S. President Donald Trump for launching military attacks on Iran, declaring that the strikes would only bolster the Iranian regime by uniting its population around Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
"Trump, who came in as a peacemaker president, has started a new war for the U.S.," said Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council. "With this kind of success, Trump won't win the Nobel Peace Prize."
Medvedev suggested that the strikes had failed to significantly damage Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, while inadvertently strengthening Tehran’s internal political standing. "The people are consolidating around the spiritual leadership, even those who did not sympathise with it," he added.
The Kremlin, which maintains strategic ties with both Iran and Israel, had previously warned Washington that any military intervention could plunge the region into an "abyss." Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has positioned himself as a potential mediator, reportedly sought assurances from Israel that Russian personnel working on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant would not be harmed.
Russia’s foreign ministry issued a strong condemnation of the U.S. operation, saying it undermined the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and demanded that the United Nations Security Council address the issue urgently.
"It is already obvious that a dangerous escalation has begun, fraught with further undermining of regional and global security," the ministry said. "The risk of the conflict spreading in the Middle East, which is already gripped by multiple crises, has increased significantly."
While relations between Moscow and Tehran have historically fluctuated since the 16th century, they have deepened in recent years through military cooperation, arms deals, and a 20-year strategic partnership signed earlier this year. Russia has also purchased drones and other weaponry from Iran for its military campaign in Ukraine.
As tensions rise across the Middle East, Moscow’s next steps could play a significant role in shaping the trajectory of the conflict.
Global oil prices reached a four year high on Monday (9 March), surpassing $...
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled o...
Kyrgyzstan recorded the largest increase in women’s representation in parliament worldwide in 2025, accordin...
U.S. President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke by phone on Sunday as tensions between Washin...
Türkiye’s official anti-disinformation agency has issued a statement refuting what it described as onli...
Russian grain is once again moving by rail to Armenia along a route that had been closed for decades. The latest freight train departed from Baku on 9 March carrying hundreds of tonnes of grain.
Russia launched a barrage of drones and missiles at Ukraine overnight on Saturday (7 March), damaging infrastructure and killing at least 10 people, including two children, in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials said.
Russian attacks on Ukraine’s second largest city in the early hours of Saturday (7 March) killed 10 people, including two children. Kharkiv mayor, Ihor Terekov, said 10 residents died after a Russian ballistic missile hit a five storey apartment block in the city.
Escalating tensions between Iran and the U.S. are raising economic concerns across Central Asia. Although the region lies far from the conflict, its economies remain closely tied to global energy markets and trade routes linked to the Persian Gulf.
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is a hardline cleric with strong backing from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. His rise signals continuity in Tehran's anti-Western policies.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
Trump says the United States "don’t need people that join wars after we’ve already won," targeting his criticism at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Israel continues to fire missles at strategic sites in Iran and Gulf regions report more strikes from Iran.
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader on Monday (9 March), signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
Entry and exit across the state border between Azerbaijan and Iran for all types of cargo vehicles, including those in transit, will resume on 9 March, according to a statement by the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan.
U.S. President Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke by phone on Sunday as tensions between Washington and Westminster deepened over the conflict involving Iran. The call came less than a day after Trump criticised Britain’s response to U.S. strikes on Iranian targets.
Norwegian police are searching for a suspect after an explosion at the U.S. embassy in Oslo on 8 March caused minor damage but no injuries, in what authorities say may have been a deliberate attack linked to the Middle East crisis.
An explosion damaged a synagogue in the Belgian city of Liège early on Monday (9 March) in what authorities said was an antisemitic attack that caused damage but no injuries.
The Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers will meet on Monday to discuss a global rise in oil prices and a joint release of oil from emergency reserves coordinated by the International Energy Agency, the Financial Times reports.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 9th of March, covering the latest developments you need to know.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment