The Kremlin on Tuesday urged restraint and de-escalation over Iran, pushing back against renewed threats from U.S. President Donald Trump, who said Washington could support another strike on the Islamic Republic if Tehran continues advancing its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Speaking at a news conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump suggested Iran may be attempting to reconstitute its weapons programs months after U.S. forces struck Iranian nuclear facilities.

“I’ve been reading that they’re building up weapons and other things, and if they are, they’re not using the sites we obliterated, but possibly different sites,” Trump said, raising the prospect of further military action if Iran presses ahead.

Russia, which has deepened its alignment
with Tehran since launching its war in Ukraine, warned that any escalation could destabilize the region. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was urging all parties to step back from confrontation.

“We believe that it is necessary to refrain from any steps that could escalate tensions in the region, and we believe that, first and foremost, dialogue with Iran is necessary,” Peskov told reporters. He added that Russia would continue to cultivate close ties with Iran despite mounting Western pressure.

The renewed war of words follows U.S. strikes in June on Iran’s three main nuclear sites, launched after Washington joined Israel’s 12-day military campaign against Tehran. At the time, Trump said the strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities, though subsequent assessments have offered mixed conclusions about the extent and durability of the damage.

Iran has long denied pursuing nuclear weapons, insisting its nuclear program is for civilian purposes. However, U.S. and Israeli officials have repeatedly accused Tehran of pushing closer to a weapons capability, particularly through uranium enrichment and ballistic missile development.

Russia and Iran formalized their growing partnership earlier this year by signing a strategic cooperation treaty, a move that alarmed Western governments. The United States and its allies have accused Tehran of supplying missiles and drones used by Russian forces in attacks on Ukraine—allegations Iran has denied.

Moscow’s call for de-escalation underscores the increasingly complex geopolitical fault lines surrounding Iran, where U.S. and Israeli warnings of military action collide with Russia’s efforts to shield a key regional partner while presenting itself as a broker for dialogue.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)