Russia condemns Israeli-US strikes against Iran

ISTANBUL

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov condemned Israeli-US strikes against Iran during a meeting Sunday with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

"The Russian side reaffirmed its condemnation of the unprovoked military strikes by Israel and the United States on Iranian territory, carried out in violation of the UN Charter and international law, including the bombing of the country’s nuclear energy infrastructure facilities under IAEA guarantees," Tass news agency reported Sunday, citing a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Lavrov expressed Moscow’s readiness to support Iran in finding “mutually acceptable solutions, including within the framework of specific initiatives previously proposed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.”

A conflict between Israel and Iran erupted on June 13, when Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian military, nuclear and civilian sites, killing at least 935 people. The Iranian Health Ministry said 5,332 people were injured.

Tehran launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes, killing at least 29 people and wounding more than 3,400, according to figures released by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The conflict ended with a US-sponsored ceasefire that took effect on June 24.

The Russian foreign minister also held separate talks with his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira and Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on the margins of the BRICS Summit.

Lavrov and Vieira held talks on global matters and "discussed the schedule of upcoming Russian-Brazilian contacts at various levels and aligned their positions on the main areas of cooperation between Moscow and Brasilia at key multilateral platforms, including preparations for the 30th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change," Tass cited the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying.

Meanwhile, during their meeting, Lavrov and Jaishankar reaffirmed their countries’ commitment to developing a privileged strategic partnership and also exchanged views on international issues, Tass said, citing the ministry.

The two also discussed the schedule of upcoming Russian-Indian engagements and particular emphasis was placed on enhancing cooperation within BRICS, taking into account India’s upcoming presidency in 2026 and the "positive results" of Brazil’s current leadership, it added.