Russia views new attacks on Iran as violation of signed memorandum — foreign minister

MOSCOW, July 14. /TASS/. The Russian side views the resumption of strikes on Iran as a violation of the memorandum concluded between Tehran and Washington, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated at a press conference following talks with his Chadian counterpart, Aboulaye Sabre Fadoul.

"We view [the resumption of military aggression against Iran] as a violation of the memorandum, and there is even little to comment on here. This is unfortunate because both civilian infrastructure in Iran and civilian facilities in the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council are suffering. This leads to nothing good," the top Russian diplomat noted.

The US and Israel began the war on Iran on February 28. In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon. Subsequently, US-Iranian talks on the implementation of the memorandum were held in the Swiss resort of Buergenstock, brokered by Doha and Islamabad. As follows from a joint statement by Qatar and Pakistan following the first round of talks, the meeting, attended by representatives of Iran and the United States, was held in a positive and constructive atmosphere, with encouraging progress achieved, including the establishment of a basis for further technical consultations.

However, on July 8, the United States resumed large-scale strikes against Iran, accusing it of violating the terms of the agreements reached regarding the Strait of Hormuz. On July 13, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei stated that Iran never violated the memorandum signed with the United States, and all responsibility for its non-fulfillment lies with Washington.