Russia Blames US and Israel for Persian Gulf Tensions, Cites Iranian Civilian Casualties
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Anna Evstigneeva, Russia‘s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, asserted during a Security Council session that the heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf stem from “unjustified aggression” by the United States and the “Zionist regime” against Iran in February. The remarks were made during a Security Council meeting convened on Friday at the request of Bahrain to address increased tensions in the Persian Gulf and growing threats to maritime security.
Evstigneeva noted that the Persian Gulf region has been experiencing a “dangerous escalation of tensions for more than nine months,” a situation that threatens the stability of the entire Middle East. She pointed to violations of sovereignty, targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, attacks on civilian and nuclear facilities, and threats to maritime security as factors that have reignited regional conflicts.
The Russian official emphasized that civilians in Iran have been targets since the conflict began, citing an incident where over 150 children were reportedly killed on the first day of the war due to a missile strike on a school in Minab. Evstigneeva accused the United States and Israel of attempting to justify their actions with fabricated pretexts concerning alleged threats and Iran’s possession of nuclear weapons. She further stated that the International Atomic Energy Agency has never registered any indication of Iran’s nuclear program being diverted for military purposes.
Evstigneeva reiterated Russia’s consistent call for respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security of all nations in the region without exception. She concluded that the only reliable path to resolving the crisis lies in “fair and honest negotiations” that address the root causes of the conflict and consider the interests of all regional countries.
