As if the war in Ukraine were not enough in terms of tension between the United States and Russia, fears over the U.S. bombing Iran are now prompting Russia to step in and defend its ally.
“They are really threatening, they are also giving ultimatums. We consider such methods inappropriate, we condemn them, we consider them a way in which the U.S. imposes its will on the Iranian side,” said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. He further warned of “catastrophic” consequences if Trump moves forward with bombing Iran.
“The consequences of this, especially if there is an attack on nuclear infrastructure, could be catastrophic for the entire region,” he explained.
Currently, the U.S. is heavily bombing Yemen, hitting over 220 targets, with the Trump administration stating that military action is degrading the Houthis and Iran.
Trump currently demands that Iran abandon its nuclear program and is threatening to carry out airstrikes if that does not happen. Tehran officially denies that it is building such weapons. Last year, the CIA director at the time, William Burns, said there was no evidence Iran has decided to rush towards building a nuclear bomb.
Ryabkov slammed Trump, saying the Republican’s recent statements “complicated the situation.”
Not only is Tehran allied with Russia, but also with China, with the three countries recently conducting naval drills together. Iran has also supplied Russia with Shahed drones on a large scale during the war in Ukraine.
Trump is seeking a new nuclear deal with Iran; however, Trump himself pulled out of the first one in 2018. At that time, Trump reimplemented sanctions against Tehran.
If Trump moves forward with bombing Iran, it would be seen by many of his grassroots supporters as a betrayal of his early promises to keep the U.S. out of foreign wars. However, it may be a policy of exerting maximum pressure on Iran to receive the most favorable deal for the U.S. — only time will tell.
