Analysis: Five reasons why we may not see anything more than rhetoric from Russia after US attacks Iran
By Ivor Bennett, Moscow correspondent
On the surface, at least, Moscow is fuming.
Russia’s foreign ministry said it “strongly condemns” the US airstrikes on Iran, which it labelled a “dangerous escalation”.
Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s powerful security council, accused Donald Trump of starting “a new war”, and others have called for Moscow to step in.
“It’s time for us to help Tehran,” said Konstantin Malofeyev, a sanctioned Russian businessman who is close to Vladimir Putin. But this was to be expected.
Iran has been a vital ally in recent years, selling weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine, and the two nations signed a strategic partnership deal in January.
So a robust verbal riposte was predictable.
But the response so far feels more show than substance and if things don’t escalate further, I doubt we’ll see anything more than rhetoric from Russia.
There are several reasons why….