Russian envoy accuses UK of backing anti-Iran hardliners in Washington

Russia’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, Andrei Kelin, has accused London of contributing to the current military escalation involving Iran, arguing that British policy played a role in shaping the situation.

In an interview with RIA Novosti, Kelin said the US and Israeli military campaign against Iran was partly the outcome of the United Kingdom’s approach, which, he claimed, aligned with anti-Iran “hawks” in Washington and helped undermine the 2015 nuclear agreement, known as the JCPOA.

“The tragic events in Iran and across the region are, among other things, the result of London’s policy, which played along with anti-Iran ‘hawks’ in Washington and contributed to the collapse of the JCPOA (the agreement concluded in 2015 between Iran and six countries to limit Iran’s nuclear program),” he said.

The ambassador also criticised what he described as a double standard in the UK’s response to the conflict, noting that British authorities have condemned Iran’s retaliatory strikes while, in his view, failing to denounce alleged war crimes against Iranian civilians.

Kelin further argued that the situation highlights what he characterised as Britain’s cynicism, adding that the UK government is effectively ignoring the origins of the conflict and the party he believes initiated the aggression.

By Tamilla Hasanova