Iran's Foreign Minister Cannot Predict Russia's Actions In Potential US-Iran War

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced that he could not definitely say how Russia would react if a military conflict broke out between Iran and the United States

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th July, 2019) Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced that he could not definitely say how Russia would react if a military conflict broke out between Iran and the United States.

"Well, it's unpredictable, but we consider Russia to be an important partner and an important neighbor. We don't have a military alliance with Russia, but we have good relations," Zarif told The National Interest newspaper in an interview published on Thursday, asked about his thoughts about what Russia might do with regard to Iran if a war broke out.

He added that Iran did not conduct its foreign policy under the assumption that someone would come to its rescue.

Nevertheless, the foreign minister admitted that Iran was close to Russia and China due to similarities between their national security interests.

The situation around Iran has exacerbated in the last few months. In mid-June two oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman, an incident the United States was quick to blame on Iran, which, for its part, has vociferously denied the accusations.

After that, Tehran declared that it had shot down a US drone that had allegedly violated its airspace. However, the United States Central Command insisted that the drone was in international airspace.

Russia's position regarding the situation has been that everyone involved should resolve their differences through diplomatic negotiations. Moscow has also repeatedly condemned the overtly hawkish policy of Washington and its allies toward Tehran, stating that Iran has no aggressive intentions and praising it for its efforts to ensure regional stability.