Russia's deputy foreign minister warned the U.S. on Wednesday about providing direct military aid to Israel in the Jewish state's conflict with Iran, saying such a move would further destabilize the Middle East.
President Donald Trump reportedly told senior aides late Tuesday that he approved attack plans for Iran but has withheld a final order to see if Tehran would abandon its nuclear program. The U.S. military has built up forces in the Middle East in the past few days, with the USS Ford Carrier strike group soon arriving in the eastern Mediterranean, putting a third U.S. aircraft carrier in close proximity to the conflict.
On Tuesday, Trump called for an "unconditional surrender" from Iran and mentioned in a post on Truth Social about a possible assassination attempt against Iran Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei but clarified, "We are not going to take him out [kill!], at least not for now."
"The United States is constantly at the forefront of all processes, and to say that they did not intervene before, but now they will, I think, be wrong," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told the Moscow-based Interfax news agency on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which kicked off Wednesday.
"It's another matter how they view the situation with providing direct military aid to Israel,” Ryabkov said. “We warn Washington against such even speculative, theoretical options. This would be a step that would radically destabilize the entire situation."
In January, Russia and Iran reportedly agreed to a 20-year strategic partnership, deepening bilateral ties. Although the agreement does not include a mutual defense clause, it stated both countries will work together against common military threats, develop their military-technical cooperation, and take part in joint exercises.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Iran and Russia have deepened military ties, with Western countries accusing Iran of providing missiles and drones for Russian attacks on Ukraine. Iran denies providing such weapons.
Russia has called Israel's strikes on Iranian targets a breach of international law while acknowledging Iran's right to defend itself. The Kremlin has encouraged both sides to avoid actions that could lead to a full-scale war.
Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, said the Kremlin remains in direct contact with its intelligence counterparts in Israel and Iran, Pukmedia, a Kurdish-run news outlet in Iraq, reported Wednesday. He described the situation as "highly dangerous" and cautioned that any further escalation could lead to "irreversible consequences" across the Middle East.
Newsmax reached out to the White House for comment.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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