Iran has not asked Russia for military aid: Kremlin

MOSCOW: Iran has not requested military aid from its ally Russia since Israel and the United States began striking the country last week, the Kremlin said Thursday.

“In this case, there have been no requests from the Iranian side,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including AFP, in a daily briefing call.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow had still not seen any evidence that Iran was developing nuclear weapons, amid what he said was “essentially a war” ongoing in the Middle East.

“We still see no evidence that Iran was developing nuclear weapons, which was the main, if not the only, justification for the war.”

Lavrov also warned in a press conference that the war launched by the US and Israel against Iran could prompt not only Iran but also its Arab neighbors to seek to acquire nuclear weapons.

“This war unfolded against Iran may cause not just Tehran, but other countries as well, to develop nuclear weapons,” the top diplomat pointed out. “Such sentiments may quickly emerge in Arab countries neighboring Iran,” he added.

Lavrov emphasized that “the seemingly paradoxical noble goal of starting a war to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons may stimulate the exact opposite.”

Russian top diplomat urged ally Iran to ensure safety of civilians across the Middle East during a call with Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, Moscow’s Foreign Ministry said.

The call came after President Vladimir Putin agreed to relay to Tehran the security concerns of several Gulf states, which have come under Iranian retaliatory fire in recent days.

During the phone call with Araghchi, Lavrov stressed the need to “ensure the safety of the civilian population and civil infrastructure in all countries of the region”, according to the Russian readout.

The minister also “confirmed a fundamental position in favour of de-escalating the situation and rejecting the use of force”.