Russia states Europe takes ‘share of the blame’ for Israel’s assault on Iran
(MENAFN) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused European nations of contributing to Israel’s military strikes on Iran by pressuring the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) into issuing a negative report on Tehran. Speaking at the Primakov Forum in Moscow on Tuesday, Lavrov claimed that European leaders encouraged IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to frame Iran’s nuclear program in the most critical terms possible.
He argued that the UK, France, and Germany, followed by the US, used the report to justify pushing a resolution through the IAEA Board of Governors, condemning Iran for allegedly violating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Soon after, Israel launched its attacks on Iranian territory, with the US later joining the campaign. A ceasefire was announced shortly thereafter by US President Donald Trump.
Lavrov said the sequence of events shows that European nations “bear a share of the blame” for the outbreak of hostilities. He criticized Western powers for manipulating international institutions, suggesting that many global organizations have been co-opted and no longer operate with impartiality.
His comments align with previous reporting by Reuters, which suggested Western diplomats had been lobbying the IAEA to take a hard line on Iran during the final stages of nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington. Iranian officials have since accused Grossi of bias and ignoring Israel’s attacks on its nuclear facilities, which Iran claims are peaceful and legal.
International law, according to multiple IAEA resolutions, prohibits military action against civilian nuclear infrastructure. Both Moscow and Tehran have condemned the Israeli and American strikes as violations of international norms. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov welcomed the ceasefire and expressed hope it would hold.
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