Russia on Thursday accused the United States and Israel of deliberately attempting to draw Arab countries into a broader Middle East war, warning that Washington and Tel Aviv showed no indication of easing hostilities in the ongoing conflict with Iran.
Since U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran began on Saturday, Arab states in the Gulf close U.S. allies, but in some cases also maintaining strong ties with Moscow have been subjected to a series of Iranian drone and missile attacks, targeting infrastructure and causing both human and material losses.
The Russian Foreign Ministry, in a statement, said: “They deliberately provoked Iran into retaliatory strikes against targets in some Arab countries, which led to human and material losses, which the Russian side deeply regrets.
In doing so, they [Washington and Tel Aviv] are trying to drag the Arabs into a war for someone else’s interests.”
Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with leaders of four Arab Gulf states, offering to leverage Moscow’s diplomatic ties with Tehran to relay concerns about Iran’s strikes on oil and infrastructure in the region.
The statement comes as the Middle East crisis continues to escalate, with U.S. and Israeli forces maintaining airstrikes over Iran while Tehran retaliates with missiles and drone attacks across the Gulf.
Russia’s remarks highlight Moscow’s positioning as both a mediator and a critic, emphasizing its concern over external powers using the region to advance their strategic interests while risking the involvement of neighboring Arab nations.
