Five reasons why we may not see anything more than rhetoric from Russia after US attacks Iran
On the surface, at least, Moscow is fuming.
Russia's foreign ministry said it "strongly condemns" the US airstrikes on Iran, which it labelled a "dangerous escalation".
Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's powerful security council, accused Donald Trump of starting "a new war", and others have called for Moscow to step in.
"It's time for us to help Tehran," said Konstantin Malofeyev, a sanctioned Russian businessman who is close to Vladimir Putin. But this was to be expected.
Iran has been a vital ally in recent years, selling weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine, and the two nations signed a strategic partnership deal in January.
So a robust verbal riposte was predictable.
But the response so far feels more show than substance and if things don't escalate further, I doubt we'll see anything more than rhetoric from Russia.
0:54
There are several reasons why.
Firstly, the strategic partnership deal doesn't contain a mutual defence clause. The pact does seek to deepen their defence cooperation, but neither country is obliged to provide military support to the other in the event of an attack.
Secondly, if Moscow did want to join the conflict or even supply weapons to Tehran, it would be hard pushed to. Resources are focused on the war in Ukraine.
Thirdly, Russia doesn't want to damage its warming relations with the US. Any kind of aid to Iran would likely jeopardise the tentative rapprochement.
Fourthly, the Israel-Iran conflict is a helpful distraction from the Kremlin's war against Ukraine. With all eyes on the Middle East, any pressure there was from Washington on Moscow to reach a peace deal seems to have evaporated.
Lastly, it's not Vladimir Putin who's spoken out, but the usual attack dogs.
2:02
Dmitry Medvedev, for example, is a senior figure but his fiery rhetoric is generally considered to be part of a Kremlin comms strategy rather than actual policy expression.
Having said all that, though, Russia won't want the situation to escalate any further.
Its regional influence took a battering when the Assad regime in Syria was toppled in December, and that influence would practically disappear if another Moscow-friendly regime in Iran were to fall.
So for now, the Kremlin is frantically trying to find a diplomatic solution.
Last week, Vladimir Putin held conversations with the leaders of Israel, Iran, America, China and the UAE, and those efforts continue on Monday when he'll meet Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi in Moscow.
If the reports are true - that the US forewarned Tehran of the bombings and signalled they'd be a one-off - there's a good chance Moscow had prior knowledge too.
Either way, Vladimir Putin's aim here is to play peacemaker, and to turn the situation to his advantage.
If he can persuade Mr Araghchi to limit Iran's response to a symbolic one, and to then return to the negotiating table with America, he will have Donald Trump in his debt.
The obvious place he'd want that repaid is Ukraine, in the form of withdrawing US support.
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The Sun
20 minutes ago
- The Sun
I visited Iran to see what it's REALLY like – I ended up in hiding in terror and fleeing for my life
EMERGING from a carpet shop in Iran's beautiful and ancient city of Esfahan, I was engulfed by a group of jostling young men. Like a desert mirage, as quickly as they had arrived they were gone. 8 8 8 Patting myself down, a zip on my trouser pocket was undone. My passport was gone. And this so-called Axis of Evil nation had no British Embassy to get a replacement. Hands trembling uncontrollably, my adrenalin-induced sweat of fear smelt like cat's urine. There can be few more hazardous places on Earth for a journalist without papers — and an entry stamp — than the Islamic Republic of Iran. Years later Barry Rosen — — told me how his interrogation played out. With a rifle pressed to his temple, Barry was told he had ten seconds to admit he was a spy. As the grim countdown began, the New Yorker wrestled with the dilemma of either being perceived as a traitor to his country or leaving his kids fatherless. 'On the count of five I relented,' Barry told me. 'I signed the false confession, distraught and completely ashamed.' Barry would eventually return to his loved ones in the US after 444 days in captivity. Britons are high-value hostages for the regime. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was detained in Iran for six years on trumped-up charges of plotting to topple the Iranian government. She was finally released when Britain paid a £400million outstanding debt to Iran. I would eventually get out — more on how later — after staying with an extraordinarily kind Iranian man who put me up in his apartment and tempered my nerves with some rocket-fuel home brew. Today — with Iran's tyrannical regime in Israeli and US crosshairs — I cast my mind back to the welcoming people I met while travelling this ancient land. These folk loathe rule by the hardline ayatollahs and long for a time less than 50 years ago when women wore miniskirts in capital Tehran, the hair bouncing on their shoulders. I had arrived in Iran — successor state of the Persian Empire — in 2012 with the idea of travelling from Tehran to Persepolis, a millennia-old desert ruin once the centrepiece of its civilisation. On the way I'd talk to ordinary people to try and understand what made this land tick. Did they really think Britain was the cursed Little Satan? 'GREAT SATAN' On landing in Tehran — a high-rise city of 9.8million shrouded by mountains — fleets of white taxis honked their way through the city's awful traffic. In the pollution-choked centre, I was struck by the number of women walking around with white plasters on their noses. Tehran has been called the nose job capital of the world. Women here also face a daily battle over what they can wear in public, with checks made by the dreaded Basij militia network. Yet many were wearing their head scarves pulled back to reveal dyed blonde hair, while their overcoats were colourful and figure-hugging. Since the 1979 Iranian revolution, when the Shah — or king — Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was toppled and replaced by hardline cleric Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Islamic dress has been strictly enforced. Alcohol was banned, protests stifled and unmarried couples prevented from meeting in public. Today, the internet is censored and the regime attempts to scramble satellite TV signals. Near the Taleghani Metro station is the old American embassy — known here as 'the nest of spies' — its walls daubed with murals and slogans decrying the so-called Great Satan. Months after the revolution, students stormed the embassy compound and took 66 Americans hostage. 8 8 A disastrous and aborted US rescue mission the following year — when eight servicemen were killed in a helicopter crash — badly damaged US president Jimmy Carter 's reputation. The lingering stigma of that failure was perhaps a factor in why Donald Trump took his time before deciding to unleash American firepower on Iran. In Palestine Square — in the heart of Tehran — beats a Doomsday Clock predicting Israel' s end by the year 2040. The regime put it there in 2017. It helps explain why Israel launched a pre-emptive strike against Iran's nuclear sites, senior nuclear scientists and top brass last week. Nearby, I visited the British embassy compound, its gateway overlooked by lion and unicorn statues. Around six months before my visit, diplomats had fled as a frenzied mob of Iran- ian 'students' storm- ed the building and ransacked offices. It would remain shuttered for nearly four years. The rioters — who were chanting 'Death To England' — were in fact state-sponsored Basij thugs. It is the same sinister paramilitary force that is responsible for the policing of morals in this hardline Shi'ite Muslim state, including the wearing of the hijab or headscarf. Yet these repressive goons are far from representative of the beating heart of this oil-rich nation. A short stroll away in the teeming Grand Bazaar, women shoppers, in the all- covering black cloak-like chador, were out looking for bargains. But surprisingly, Union Jack-patterned knickers and bra combos were on sale on at least three stalls. American stars and stripes underwear was also available in several shops. One black-clad shopper in her thirties told me: 'The underwear is very popular. 'We have nothing against your country.' The message that the lingerie worn under the chadors sent out was clear: Knickers to the hardliners. Indeed, as a metaphor for things being very different under the surface in Iran, it couldn't be bettered. Another stall sold Manchester United bath towels in a nation where the Premier League is avidly followed. 'We don't hate Britain,' a 26-year-old Red Devils-mad taxi driver told me. 'Far from it. 'We admire your freedom.' After a few days in Tehran I took a shared taxi on the five-hour, 280-mile journey to Iran's third largest city Esfahan. It's home to an exquisite square overlooked by the imposing aquamarine dome of Shah Mosque, regarded as one of the masterpieces of Persian architecture. The city's outskirts are also home to one of the largest uranium enrichment facilities in the country. 'EVERYBODY BREWS THEIR OWN NOW' Terrified that Iran was close to producing a nuclear weapon to make good on its doomsday prophecy, the site was pummeled by more than two dozen US Tomahawk cruise missiles on Sunday morning. I had checked into a largely empty hotel in the city centre which had no safe for valuables. That evening I went out shopping for a Persian rug. Warily passing some soldiers in the street, I was dismayed to see them beckon me over. Yet they simply wanted a selfie alongside a rare Western traveller. Emerging with my new carpet, I was heading for an electronics store bearing a fake Apple logo when I was surrounded by pickpockets. Now passportless, I was petrified about being stopped by police and asked to produce my documents. I then remembered meeting some Iranian migrants in Calais who had told me they used to work as smugglers, trekking over the mountains from Iran to Turkey with some contraband alcohol in backpacks. Finding an internet cafe to research the journey, a man started using the computer next to me to watch porn. The idea of attempting to walk alone over rugged mountains seemed more hazardous than another internet suggestion — go to another country's embassy and throw myself at their mercy. Travelling back to Tehran I attempted to check into a hotel but the receptionist insisted I needed to show my passport. When I explained my predicament, he told me: 'I'll phone the police and they'll sort this out.' 8 I told him I needed to collect my luggage then scarpered. Knowing no one in the country, a contact then put me in touch with someone who could put me up. The grey-haired father lived alone in a ramshackle flat and said I was welcome to the sofa. 'I was jailed for protesting against the Shah when he ruled,' he told me. 'Now I wish I hadn't bothered. 'This regime is far worse. 'We have far less freedom now.' Deciding the Dutch would be most amenable to a stricken Brit, I tried their embassy but it was closed for holidays. So I went to the Danes instead. They took my details and I was told to return the following day. Presented with a paper Danish temporary passport 24 hours later, I profusely thanked the embassy staff for making me an honorary viking. Taking a cab to the airport, I checked my bag on the flight then queued up at immigration dreaming of a glass of red on the plane. A bearded border guard disdainfully looked at my Danish passport, sniffing as he tossed it away: 'No good, no ministry stamp.' It was back to my new friend's sofa to watch subtitled TV, including shows with Jamie Oliver and James May. The former prisoner — raising a glass of home-distilled spirits — revealed: 'Twice every year the police go upon the roof and smash up all our satellite dishes. 'But we simply go out and buy some more. 8 'There's a saying here that the regime closed down thousands of brewers during the revolution but created a million more. 'Everybody brews their own now.' After two days queuing at the relevant Iranian ministry — and praying that they wouldn't google my identity — I finally got my stamp. My plane banked over the vast mausoleum built to house Khomeini's remains as it headed west. One after another, most of the women on the flight removed their head scarves, then their restrictive chadors. Settling with a glass of wine, I hoped one day to return to this fascinating land under better circumstances. Now, with the ayatollahs' regime perhaps at threat of being toppled, I may one day make it to Persepolis.
Daily Mail
21 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Trump's Iran bombing leaves 2028 Democrats ducking for cover with muted response
Unlike their congressional counterparts, the top Democrats with eyes on the White House did not rush to condemn President Donald Trump 's Saturday evening strike on Iranian nuclear sites. Some opted to say nothing at all. Potential 2028 Democrat presidential hopefuls California Governor Gavin Newsom, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz all shared similar responses to Trump's actions in Iran via social media posts. All three Democrats noted that they were monitoring the situations in their states, keeping alert for any potential signs of retaliatory attacks. Newsom wrote that 'California's State Threat Assessment Center is actively monitoring for any potential impacts in California. While there are no specific or credible counter threats we are aware of at this time, we urge everyone to stay vigilant and report suspicious activity.' California has the largest population of Iranians in the U.S. with just over 200,000 residents. Whitmer also posted about the operation without directly commenting on Trump, noting that her 'top priority is the safety and security of the people of Michigan.' She stuck to a statement of 'monitoring the situation closely' without weighing in on the merits of the decision. Kamala Harris' 2024 running mate Tim Walz directed Minnesota safety teams to be on 'heightened alert' for potential threats to Minnesota and also pledged to monitor the situation. During last year's vice presidential debate, Walz criticized Trump for withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, arguing that this move allowed Iran to get closer to developing a nuclear weapon. He declined to return to that line of attack on Sunday. Following the President's action in Iran, California's State Threat Assessment Center is actively monitoring for any potential impacts in California. While there are no specific or credible counter threats we are aware of at this time, we urge everyone to stay vigilant and report… — Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) June 22, 2025 My top priority is the safety and security of the people of Michigan. Last night, I called a briefing with the Adjutant General of @MINationalGuard and Colonel Grady with @MichStatePolice. We're monitoring the situation in Iran closely and taking steps to keep Michiganders safe. — Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) June 22, 2025 Following the President's decision to bomb nuclear facilities in Iran, I've directed our public safety teams to be on heightened alert for potential threats to Minnesota. While there's no known threats at this time, we'll continue to monitor the situation and respond accordingly. — Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) June 22, 2025 These responses came amid no statements being made by other potential 2028 contenders, including fellow governors Andy Beshears of Kentucky, and Wes Moore of Maryland. Moore, an Army Veteran who led troops in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan, accused Trump of addressing Iran with 'a lack of seriousness', per a Politico interview last Thursday. Democrat Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania responded Sunday afternoon to the attacks nearly 20 hours after Trump's announcement of the strikes, also toeing a fine line. The 2028 Dem breaking out from his party on Iran But while Shapiro parroted the line of coordinating with security officials to keep his constituents safe, he went a step further to say that ridding Iran of nuclear capabilities was 'good' outcome. 'I will say, with regard to the Iranian nuclear program, it was obviously very, very dangerous. The idea that Iran, the world's largest sponsor of terror, would have a nuclear weapon, would not only destabilize the Middle East, but it would create risk for American interests at home and abroad. And so it is good if Iran does not possess a nuclear weapon,' he added. But he made sure to also say that the Trump administration owns full responsibility for what comes next. Congressional Democrats have complained much more loudly about Trump's strikes. While some griped they were kept in the dark about the operation, others, including New York Democrat Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, went as far as to call for Trump's impeachment.
Reuters
22 minutes ago
- Reuters
Trump asks why there would not be 'regime change' in Iran
WASHINGTON, June 22 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday questioned the possibility of regime change in Iran following U.S. military strikes against key Iran military sites over the weekend. "It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!" Trump wrote on his social media platform.
