Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday condemned the U.S. airstrikes against Iran’s nuclear sites on Saturday as “unprovoked aggression.”
Speaking during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Moscow, Putin said, “This is an absolutely unprovoked act of aggression against Iran; it has no basis or justification,” according to Moscow’s state-run TASS news agency.
“Our position on the current events is well known. It has been clearly articulated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on behalf of Russia,” he added, referencing a Sunday statement condemning the attacks as a “dangerous escalation” and a “blatant violation of international law.”
Israeli and U.S. military action against the Islamic Republic’s ambitions to produce nuclear weapons are “illegitimate,” Putin declared, per RT.
Putin said he was glad to see Araghchi in Moscow, and that the visit would allow Russia and Iran “to discuss all these pressing issues and think together about how we could get out of today’s situation.”
“For our part, we are making efforts to assist the Iranian people,” stated Putin, without elaborating.
Araghchi told Putin that Tehran was conducting “self-defense” with its ongoing missile attacks on the Jewish state, which have primarily targeted densely populated civilian areas, and thanked Russia for its support.
Tehran’s top diplomat conveyed best wishes to Putin from the country’s supreme leader and president, while declaring that “Russia is today on the right side of history and international law,” according to Reuters.
Asked what Moscow was ready to do to help Iran, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Reuters: “It all depends on what Iran needs.” He said that Moscow’s offer to mediate talks, which Tehran has rejected as long as hostilities are ongoing, was itself a form of support.
Araghchi announced his trip to Moscow on Sunday, shortly after the United States launched airstrikes on the Iranian nuclear sites at Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow.
“We always consult with each other and coordinate our positions,” Araghchi told journalists in Istanbul, stressing the “strategic partnership” with Moscow, per media reports on Sunday.
Iran and Russia have grown closer since the start of Moscow’s war in Ukraine, with Moscow turning to Tehran to supply it with drones and other weapons. Russia has launched thousands of Iranian-designed Shahed attack drones against Ukraine, including on civilian targets.