Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday condemned recent attacks on Iran as “unprovoked” and “unjustified” during talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Moscow, though he stopped short of offering concrete support to the key Middle Eastern ally.
Speaking at the Kremlin, Putin declared, “This absolutely unprovoked aggression against Iran is unjustified,” but avoided directly naming the United States, which carried out airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend.
Despite Russia’s strategic alliance with Tehran, Moscow has refrained from fully backing Iran militarily. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier in the day, “There has been a new escalation of tensions in the region, and, of course, we condemn this and express our deep regret.”
Araghchi praised Russia as a “partner and companion” to Iran, describing bilateral ties as “very close and longstanding.” He added that Iran was acting in legitimate self-defence in response to aggression.
While Putin has previously positioned himself as a mediator between Iran and Israel, U.S. President Donald Trump rejected the idea last week. Since Israel’s strikes on 13 June triggered Iranian retaliation with missiles and drones, Russia has not offered any military aid.
Putin acknowledged Russia was “making efforts to help the Iranian people” but did not provide specifics. Peskov reiterated that Moscow had extended mediation services, adding that “everything depends on what Iran needs.”
Peskov also noted that the US strikes would not impact Russian–American relations, calling them “different issues.” Putin confirmed that Iran had not officially requested any support from Russia.