MOSCOW, March 10. /TASS/. Aggressors are deliberately seeking to "drive a wedge" between Iran and its Arab neighbors, the Russian foreign ministry said after a meeting between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov and Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali.
"The Russian side reiterated its readiness to do everything possible to bring the situation back to a political and diplomatic track as soon as possible. It was emphasized that the aggressors are deliberately driving a wedge between Iran and its Arab neighbors. The Russian side expressed regret that civilians and civilian infrastructure in many countries of the region are suffering from the hostilities," it said.
According to the ministry, Alimov and Jalali discussed the unprecedented military escalation in the Middle East amid the US-Israeli aggression against Iran, which violates the fundamental norms and principles of international law. They also touched upon issues of Russia-Iran cooperation within multilateral formats, primarily in the United Nations.
"Alimov briefed the Iranian diplomat about Russia’s efforts in the UN Security Council to ensure its fair and objective response to the aggression against Iran and the situation around it," the ministry added.
The meeting was requested by the Iranian diplomat.
The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some other key Iranian leaders were killed in the joint US-Israeli attack.