MOSCOW — Russia's Foreign Ministry issued its most forceful response yet to the ongoing military campaign against Iran on Saturday, formally characterising the U.S.-Israeli operation as "a pre-planned and unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent U.N. member state" and calling for the strikes to stop immediately. The statement, posted to the ministry's official Telegram channel on 28 February 2026, marks Moscow's clearest diplomatic break from any semblance of neutrality since hostilities began, and transforms Russia from a bystander into an active diplomatic party demanding accountability.

Moscow Rejects Nuclear Justification, Alleges Regime Change as True Objective

The Foreign Ministry statement went significantly further than a standard condemnation, directly challenging the publicly stated rationale offered by Washington and Tel Aviv. Russia accused both governments of "hiding behind" concerns about Iran's nuclear program while actually pursuing the destruction of its constitutional order and the removal of its leadership. The phrasing was deliberate and pointed: it positions Moscow as disputing not just the method but the legal and moral premise of the entire operation.

The ministry's language around nuclear facilities carried particular weight. It described the targeting of sites operating under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards as "unacceptable," a formulation that invokes the framework of global non-proliferation law rather than mere geopolitical preference. By anchoring its objection within the IAEA safeguards architecture, Russia is signalling to other states, including those not traditionally aligned with Tehran, that the strikes raise questions about the integrity of the international nuclear monitoring system itself.

Radiological Warning and Escalation Language Signal Urgency

The ministry's warning that the attacks risk triggering a "humanitarian, economic and possibly radiological catastrophe" was among the most alarming elements of Saturday's statement. The inclusion of the word "radiological" was not accidental: it shifts the framing from a conventional military conflict to a potential environmental and public health emergency, invoking a category of concern that has historically galvanised international response. Whether that risk is grounded in current assessments of damage to specific facilities, or is being deployed as a diplomatic pressure instrument, could not be independently verified by the time of publication.

Russia also accused the United States and Israel of "plunging the Middle East into an abyss of uncontrolled escalation," language that directly challenges the capacity of both governments to manage the consequences of their campaign. The phrase "uncontrolled escalation" is notable because it implicitly attributes incompetence as well as malice, suggesting Moscow believes the operation's architects have lost the ability to contain what they have started. That framing has implications for how other regional and global powers may calculate their own responses in the hours and days ahead.

Lavrov-Araqchi Call Elevates Diplomatic Track, UN Security Council Move Imminent

Beyond the ministry statement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a telephone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi on Saturday, at Tehran's initiative, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. Lavrov reiterated his condemnation of the strikes as a violation of international law and reaffirmed Russia's readiness to support peaceful solutions, including through its seat on the UN Security Council. The call was not merely a symbolic gesture: it established a direct ministerial channel between Moscow and Tehran at the precise moment Iran is simultaneously managing a live military conflict and pursuing emergency diplomatic action.

Araqchi used the call to outline the steps Iran has taken to repel the assault and to announce that Tehran intends to urgently convene the UN Security Council. Russia's explicit endorsement of that initiative, and its willingness to act within that forum, sets the stage for a procedural confrontation involving the world's most powerful multilateral body. Any Security Council session called by Iran will place both the United States and Russia in the same room as permanent members, with Moscow positioned to use its veto if the chamber moves toward any resolution that legitimises the strikes or constrains Iran's right to respond. That dynamic transforms Russia's diplomatic posture from rhetorical opposition into a concrete structural obstacle to Western consensus-building.

The broader geopolitical subtext of Moscow's posture is not lost on regional analysts. Russia conducted joint naval exercises with Iran in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean just days before Saturday's strikes, with stated goals of improving coordination and exchanging military experience. Whether Moscow's vigorous diplomatic response translates into any material support for Tehran remains an open question and one that Washington will be scrutinising closely as the conflict continues to develop.

Written by Nick Ravenshade for NENC Media Group, original article and analysis.