13 June 2025
04:02 GMTRussian Federation Council Deputy Speaker Konstantin Kosachev has strongly condemned Israel’s strikes on Iran, calling them a dangerous and unjustified escalation. Quoting Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s claim that Israel had struck “the heart of Iran’s nuclear enrichment program,” Kosachev warned the attacks also delivered “a blow to nuclear safety,” and “a blow to Iranian sovereignty” by targeting its top military leadership. He argued that the strikes sabotage diplomatic efforts, including the now-cancelled sixth round of nuclear talks in Oman.
Kosachev said Israel’s actions cannot be justified “legally, politically, militarily, or morally,” warning that an Iranian response is “inevitable” and the region is spiraling into a “vicious circle of escalation.” He criticized the West’s role in the crisis, stating it “has ceased to be collective, but remains extremely opportunistic.” While calling hopes of avoiding full-scale war “illusory,” he urged the international community to deliver a firm, united condemnation of the operation.
03:53 GMTIran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemned Israel for its early morning strikes, accusing the “Zionist regime” of committing a crime by targeting residential areas and vowing retaliation.
In a statement published by the official IRNA news agency, Khamenei said Israel “must expect severe punishment” and warned that the Islamic Republic’s armed forces “will not abandon” the response. He confirmed that several commanders and scientists were killed in the strikes, adding that their successors would immediately take up their duties.
“With this crime, the Zionist regime has prepared a bitter and painful fate for itself, and it will certainly receive it,” he said.
