Russia urges Iran, US to exercise restraint; says war will destabilize region
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that a possible US military strike on Iran on the pretext of supporting Iranian protesters would further destabilize West Asia region, calling on both sides to show restraint and focus exclusively on peaceful negotiations. "Russia continues its efforts to de-escalate tensions. In this situation, we would like to see restraint from all parties involved as well as their focus exclusively on peaceful negotiations to address the issues they consider relevant," Peskov said. Peskov added that such a move would represent “another step toward serious destabilization in the region.”
The comments came as tensions have been on the rise between Tehran and Washington over the US meddlesome remarks about recent protests in Iran. Foreign-instigated riots in Iran escalated on January 8 and continued for several days, following peaceful protests in Iranian bazaars and markets where traders called for government action to halt the devaluation of the Iranian rial. The violence, encouraged openly by the Israeli regime and US President Donald Trump, resulted in extensive damage to public and private property, with widespread destruction of shops, government institutions, public service facilities, and the killing of thousands of civilians, including women and children, as well as security forces.
Iranian authorities have confirmed that US and Israeli spy agencies were directly involved, providing funding, training, and media support to rioters and armed terrorists acting on the streets. Since then, Trump has repeatedly threatened Iran with military attack over what he calls Tehran’s suppression of protests.