ISLAMABAD: Russian Ambassador Albert P. Khorev issued a statement on the evolving situation in the Middle East, criticizing the United States and Israel over their military actions against Iran.
“The U.S.-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which began on February 28 of this year, represented the culmination of years of Western efforts to pressure the country’s leadership, whom the West considered undesirable,” the ambassador stated.
Highlighting the impact of sanctions, he said, “Anti-Iranian economic sanctions have had a negative impact, first and foremost, on ordinary Iranian citizens. They adversely affected the human rights situation in the country,” referencing concerns earlier raised by Volker Türk.
Khorev further accused the U.S. and Israel of escalating tensions through military means. “Nevertheless, the U.S.-Israeli duo opted for use of force by embarking on a military misadventure,” he said, adding that “the aggressors are trying to lay the blame for the negative consequences of the escalating crisis in the Middle East on Iran.”
Rejecting claims about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, he cited Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, stating: “the IAEA had no evidence that Iran was developing nuclear weapons.”
The ambassador also alleged broader geopolitical motives, stating that “The United States and Israel’s true goals are to undermine the constitutional order and eliminate the leadership of a state they find undesirable.”
Expressing strong condemnation over recent developments, he said, “It was with outrage and deep regret that we received the news of the assassination of Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with several members of his family and high-ranking Iranian officials. Such an act constitutes a gross violation of the international law and principles of civilized relations between states.”
He also condemned civilian casualties, adding, “The attack on a girls’ school in the Iranian city of Minab that claimed the lives of approximately 170 innocent children also deserves strong condemnation.”
Concluding his remarks, Khorev urged restraint and diplomacy: “We urge the parties to refrain from using force to resolve their differences and instead move toward a political and diplomatic settlement of all issues based on the UN Charter and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.”
