MOSCOW, June 24. /TASS/. Top Iranian diplomat Abbas Araghchi visits Moscow to consult with Russia amid Middle East escalation, US-Russia ties move past some tricky issues in relations, and NATO agrees on 5% defense spending target, but not timeline for implementation. These stories topped Tuesday's headlines across Russia.
Recent acts of aggression against Iran are unjustified and unfounded, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on June 23 at a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The talks, held in the Kremlin, focused on the prospects of normalizing the situation in the region. The Iranian-Israeli conflict has entered a new stage of escalation after the US delivered a number of strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. In response, Tehran attacked Washington’s military bases in the Middle East: in Qatar and Iraq. Blocking the Strait of Hormuz may be the next step, experts caution.
"Above all, Iran needs Moscow’s political support, for it to use its clout at the UN in order to ensure the utmost information support of Tehran’s actions, thus shielding it from possible pressure by the US and Israel via the United Nations’ structures. Russia declaring its confidence in the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program is also important, as this could persuade the IAEA Board of Governors and lower the risk of new sanctions being imposed on the republic," Eastern studies expert Leonid Tsukanov told Izvestia.
