Russia slams Israeli strikes on Iran as ‘illegal', calls for diplomatic solution to nuclear issue
Russia's Foreign Ministry denounced on Tuesday continued Israeli attacks on Iran as illegal and said a solution to the conflict over Tehran's nuclear programme could only be found through diplomacy.
"The continuing intensive attacks by Israel on Iran's peaceful nuclear sites are illegal in terms of international law and create unacceptable threats to international security and push the world to a nuclear catastrophe...," the ministry said in a statement posted on Telegram.
It said that widespread condemnation of Israeli actions showed that Israel had found support only "from those states who are in fact co-participants and act for opportunistic reasons."
The ministry noted Iran's "clear statements about its unaltered commitment to the obligations of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and its readiness to renew contacts with the United States to work out possible solutions" removing all doubts about Tehran's nuclear programme.
"Moscow supports this stand and firmly believes that the settlement that is being sought can only be reliably achieved through diplomacy and negotiations," it said.
The statement also said Moscow was waiting for the International Atomic Energy Agency to provide "as soon as possible a detailed written report ... with an objective and unvarnished assessment of damage" to Iran's nuclear facilities.
The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia was ready to act as a mediator in the conflict between Israel and Iran, and its previous proposal to store Iranian uranium in Russia remained on the table.
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Hindustan Times
20 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Israel's spy agency used AI and smuggled-in drones to prepare attack on Iran
Israel stunned and hobbled Iran last week when it pulled off an intelligence and military operation years in the making that struck high-level targets with precision. This account is based on conversations with 10 current and former Israeli intelligence and military officials, some of whom spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss clandestine operations. It was not possible to independently verify some of their claims. But the former head of research at Israel's spy agency, the Mossad, confirmed the basic contours of the attack, saying she had inside knowledge of how it was planned and executed. 'This attack is the culmination of years of work by the Mossad to target Iran's nuclear program,' said Sima Shine, the former Mossad research director who is now an analyst at the Institute for National Security Studies. Israel's element of surprise was enhanced by Iranian officials' apparent assumption that Israel wouldn't attack while talks over its rapidly advancing nuclear program were ongoing with the U.S. A sixth round of talks had been planned for last Sunday in Oman, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu activated 'Operation Rising Lion' on Friday – after his country first notified President Donald Trump. Netanyahu has for years said neutralizing Iran's nuclear program was vital for Israel's security, and Israel had previously taken steps to set back Iran's ability to enrich uranium to weapons grade. But Netanyahu said a more aggressive attack proved necessary, as Iran kept advancing its enrichment program despite U.S. diplomatic efforts and warnings from U.N. watchdogs. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has repeatedly called for Israel's destruction. Iran's political leaders say their nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, though it was the only country without the bomb to enrich uranium close to weapons-grade levels. The Mossad and the military worked together for at least three years to lay the operational groundwork, according to a former intelligence officer who said he had knowledge of the attack. This person spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the subject. The attack built off knowledge Israel gained during a wave of airstrikes last October, which 'highlighted the weakness of Iranian air defenses,' said Naysan Rafati, an Iran analyst at the International Crisis Group. To further diminish Iranian air defenses and missile systems at the start of last week's attack, Mossad agents had smuggled precision weapons into Iran that were prepositioned to strike from close range, according to two current security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the missions. 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He added: 'a number of traitors are trying to engage the country's air defense by flying some mini-drones.' The Mossad is believed to have carried out numerous covert attacks on the Iranian nuclear program over the years, including cyberattacks and the killing of Iranian nuclear scientists. But it rarely acknowledges such operations. In the 2000s, Iranian centrifuges used for enriching uranium were destroyed by the so-called Stuxnet computer virus, believed to be an Israeli and American creation. In 2018, Israel stole an archive of Iranian nuclear research that included tens of thousands of pages of records, said Yossi Kuperwasser, a retired general and former military intelligence researcher who now directs the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security. In July 2024, Israel killed a senior leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, with a bomb in a bedroom of a government guesthouse in Tehran. Israel's blistering attack last week on the heart of Iran's nuclear and military structure didn't come out of nowhere, said retired Israeli Brig. Gen. Amir Avivi, who heads the Israel Defense and Security Forum think tank. It was the result of 'Israeli intelligence working extensively for years in Iran and establishing a very strong robust presence,' he said.
Hans India
22 minutes ago
- Hans India
Iranian strikes hit Mossad hq in Israel
Tehran: Missiles launched by Iran have struck various locations across the occupied Palestinian territories, with footage showing the Aman logistics centre—part of the Israeli military intelligence complex in Glilot—still burning following the attack. This comes as the war between the two countries escalate, which led to the death of more than 200 people in Iran and over a dozen Israelis. The Israeli military has attempted to downplay the strikes by highlighting damage to a nearby bus parking lot. However, reports indicate that the missile strikes directly targeted strategic sites, including the Aman logistics facility and the Mossad headquarters in Herzliya. Images that briefly circulated in Hebrew-language media—before being swiftly removed—show the impact site belonged to Israel's military intelligence. The visuals confirm that a highly sensitive security installation was directly hit. According to Hebrew media sources, there is a strong possibility that secret backup sites linked to Israel's Unit 8200—an elite electronic surveillance and intelligence division—were completely destroyed in Herzliya. Meanwhile, Iranian armed forces also warned Israel of a new wave of "fierce attacks" with "new and advanced weapons" that will intensify in the coming hours. The Israel defence forces on Tuesday said that Iran has launched 30 missiles, with some breaching defences. "We will relentlessly pursue our enemies through advanced intelligence capabilities, exploiting emerging opportunities, air superiority, and complex operational planning," it said.
Hans India
23 minutes ago
- Hans India
Israel warns Khamenei will end up like Saddam
Tel Aviv: Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz warned on Tuesday that Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could face a similar fate of Iraq's Saddam Hussein. 'Remember what happened to the dictator in the neighbouring country of Iran who took this path against Israel,' Katz said. Saddam Hussein was convicted of crimes against humanity —including wilful killing, illegal imprisonment, deportation, and torture — and was sentenced to death by hanging. Saddam's half-brother (an intelligence officer) and Iraq's former chief judge were also sentenced to death. Days after an Iraqi court upheld his sentence in December 2006, Saddam was executed. The threat comes even as a senior US official said that US President Donald Trump had intervened to prevent Israel from carrying out an assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not rule out the possibility when asked about the reports during an interview with ABC News. "It's not going to escalate the conflict, it's going to end the conflict," he said. Netanyahu has insisted that Israel's campaign against Iran was 'changing the face of the Middle East', as the two countries traded heavy strikes for a fifth day. The remarks came hours after a dramatic attack on an Iranian state TV building, which forced a presenter to flee mid-broadcast and prompted a threat of retaliation against Israeli news channels. After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel launched a surprise aerial campaign against Iran last week, with the stated aim of preventing Tehran from acquiring atomic weapons – an ambition it denies. The sudden flare-up has sparked fears of a wider conflict, with US President Donald Trump urging Iran back to the negotiating table after Israel's attacks derailed ongoing nuclear talks.
