Lavrov Defends Russia’s Support for Iran War with U.S., Israel

(MENAFN) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov defended Moscow's stance alongside Iran in the ongoing conflict with the United States and Israel, asserting that Russia's position is driven by adherence to international law rather than alliance loyalty — while firmly pushing back against accusations of intelligence-sharing with Tehran.

Lavrov delivered the remarks in an interview published Thursday, responding to pointed questions over why Russia continues to stand by Iran following U.S. and Israeli strikes on the Islamic Republic in late February — strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a number of other senior officials.

"Our primary focus was on upholding international law, not so much on defending Iran, which is more than our ally but is our strategic partner," Lavrov said. "I do not think that the French, who have historically declared their commitment to international law, fail to see what is happening."

The top Russian diplomat leveled sharp criticism at U.S. President Donald Trump, rejecting his assertion that he "doesn't need international law and is guided by his own morality and his own mind." Lavrov pointed to two decades of American military interventions — in Iraq, Syria, and Libya — as a consistent pattern of destabilization, warning that "the same is now happening with the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Lavrov further accused Washington of deliberate diplomatic duplicity, noting that for the second consecutive time, the U.S. launched military strikes "at the height of negotiations" with Tehran. He condemned the tone emanating from American officials over Khamenei's killing, stating that when U.S. officials boast "with bravado and pride about the cold-blooded killing of Iran's supreme leader, one can hardly see this as anything other than cynical behavior."

Turning to the widening regional fallout, Lavrov addressed statements from Arab states describing themselves as caught between two simultaneous conflicts — U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran's retaliatory fire targeting Gulf nations. "I find it difficult to accept this logic, because the underlying cause – the US-Israeli aggression – holds the key to settlement," he said.

On the question of Russian intelligence support for Iran — a claim that has gained significant traction in international media — Lavrov was categorical in his denial, dismissing the reporting as overblown. "We have supplied certain types of military equipment to Iran, but we cannot agree with accusations that we are providing Iran with intelligence," he said, noting that the locations of U.S. military installations in the Gulf that have come under Iranian fire are, in his words, already a matter of public record.

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