Russia maintains steady relations with Iran amid Middle East tensions, says diplomat

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has said that the Russian Federation maintains regular ties with Iran regardless of how tense the situation in the Middle East is.

“We are in constant contact with the Iranian side, they do not depend on the fluctuations of the political barometer and the degree of tension in the region, which is now extremely high and causes great anxiety,” he said, answering the question whether Moscow is in contact with Tehran against the background of a possible retaliatory strike by Israel, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

The deputy minister pointed out that in this environment, the demand for dialogue is at an elevated level.

“There is an appropriate exchange of assessments and approaches on various lines,” he continued.

“I would like to note that the aim of our efforts, as in any situation where there is a risk of escalation, is to find solutions that would reduce this risk and ultimately turn the relevant processes towards a political settlement,” Ryabkov added.

Turning to the Israeli side, he warned the Jewish state that even a hypothetical attack on Iran's nuclear facilities could lead to catastrophic consequences.

"We have repeatedly warned and continue to warn and caution [Israel] against even hypothetically considering a strike on [Iran's] nuclear facilities and nuclear infrastructure. This would be a catastrophic development and a complete reversal of those postulates in the sphere of ensuring nuclear security that exist," the deputy minister pointed out.

Notably, fears of a wider Middle East conflict have grown as Israel plans its response to the October 1 missile attack carried out by Iran after Israeli airstrikes on Iranian-allied militants.

Israel has not officially said how it intends to respond to Iran's October missile attack - the second in six months - but Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said last week its reaction would be "deadly, precise and above all surprising". "They will not understand what happened and how it happened, they will see the results," Gallant said.

Iran said its October missile barrage was a response to Israel's assassinations of the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) officer Abbas Nilforushan, in Beirut, and of the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

By Khagan Isayev