Overview
- Russia’s UN ambassador Vasily Nebenzya urged the United States and partners to forgo any new actions against Iran, including strikes on nuclear facilities, and called for firm guarantees against further confrontation.
- Nebenzya warned that U.S. steps could drive the Middle East into “bloody chaos” with the risk of spillover beyond the region.
- He accused Washington of inflaming tensions by declaring that assistance to Iranian protesters is already on the way.
- Russia expressed solidarity with Iranian civilians and lamented the deaths reported during the unrest, with Nebenzya saying protest momentum is waning.
- The protests began after a steep rial devaluation in late December and escalated on January 8 following calls by Reza Pahlavi during an internet outage, while Iranian authorities said on January 12 that they had regained control and blamed the U.S. and Israel.