The Kremlin said on Tuesday that it saw Israel as unwilling to mediate in its conflict with Iran, which has continued for a fifth straight day in what Moscow called a “galloping escalation”.
Israel started the conflict with a surprise attack last week that killed almost all of Iran’s top military commanders and its top nuclear scientists. Iran responded with a series of attacks on Israeli cities.
In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged both sides to exercise “maximum restraint.”
“The situation continues to escalate rapidly. The level of unpredictability is absolute,” he said.
Peskov said that Russia’s offer to mediate between the warring parties is still on the table if needed, but that Moscow has seen that Israel is not interested in seeking a peaceful solution for now.
Russia signed a strategic partnership agreement with Iran in January, but it does not include a provision on mutual defense. Moscow also has long-standing ties with Israel, but these have been exacerbated by Russia’s war in Ukraine and Israel’s bombing of Gaza.
Peskov said that the Russian embassy in Tehran is in contact with Russian citizens and offers them opportunities for evacuation through neighboring Azerbaijan.
