Russia says it’s worried about threat of new strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities

MOSCOW (Reuters): Russia said on Wednesday it was concerned about the threat of new strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, and that a deal on Tehran’s nuclear programme could be reached through dialogue.

Israel and the United States bombed Iranian nuclear sites in June with the stated aim of preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Iran denies any such intention.

“Regular threats towards Iran to launch new missile and bomb strikes on its nuclear facilities cannot but cause serious concern. The cynicism of such statements is added by the fact that they are made under the guise of imaginary concern for the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters.

“Bombing nuclear facilities should not become commonplace, routine international practice. The catastrophic risks associated with this cannot be ignored, much less justified.”

Russia has cultivated closer ties with Iran since the start of its war in Ukraine, and this year signed a strategic partnership treaty with the Islamic Republic.

Zakharova said a sustainable peace settlement and a promise not to conduct new strikes on Iran were prerequisites for normalising cooperation between Tehran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency.