During a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi blamed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for provoking tensions in Ukraine and asserted that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was justified.
“The expansion of the NATO is a serious threat to the stability and security of independent countries in different regions,” Raisi told Putin. He said that “what is happening [Russia’s invasion] ends up to the benefit the nations and the region” and agreed with Putin’s stance that “the current situation [is] a legitimate response to decades of breaches of security treaties and the West’s efforts to undermine his country’s security.”
Putin, meanwhile, noted that Russia’s decision to launch a “special operation” in Ukraine was meant to “protect civilians in the Donbas republics in accordance with international law and the treaties of friendship and mutual assistance which Russia signed with the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic.”
Both leaders also talked about the ongoing nuclear negotiations in Vienna, which aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Raisi told Putin that if there are credible guarantees that the West will abide by the deal and that the United States (US) will lift sanctions, Iran is ready to enter a lasting agreement. In response, Putin agreed that reviving the JCPOA “would contribute to regional stability and security.”
On the same day, the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that NATO’s provocation is directly responsible for the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. “Unfortunately, provocative moves by NATO spearheaded by the US have led to a situation which has pushed the Eurasian region on the cusp of a big crisis,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh asserted.
Khatibzadeh urged both sides “to stop the hostilities and establish a ceasefire for immediate talks in order to resolve the crisis through political means.” He also called on them to “observe international law and international humanitarian laws during the conflict.”
The #Ukraine crisis is rooted in NATO's provocations.
— H.Amirabdollahian امیرعبداللهیان (@Amirabdolahian) February 24, 2022
We don't believe that resorting to war is a solution.
Imperative to establish ceasefire & to find a political and democratic resolution.
In addition, Khatibzadeh emphasised that the most important task of the Foreign Ministry is to “fully and urgently” address the situation of Iranians living in Ukraine and help with their evacuation. The Iranian embassy in Ukraine “is fully active and serves students and Iranians 24 hours a day,” he added.
Similarly, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said that Tehran’s priority is to evacuate Iranian nationals stuck in Ukraine. Speaking with Iran’s ambassador to Ukraine on Thursday, Abdollahian ordered the Iranian embassy “to offer 24-hour services to fellow Iranians.” Abdollahian also announced the formation of a task force to monitor the situation and assist Iranians to leave Ukraine.
Iran, which is under US sanctions, considers itself a strategic partner of Russia. Both countries jointly cooperate in Syria, especially regarding military operations. Moreover, Moscow has emerged as a staunch supporter of Tehran during the ongoing talks in Vienna to restore the JCPOA. Russia has repeatedly indicated that it favours a complete revival of the JCPOA and has demanded that the West remove sanctions imposed on Iran.
Last month, Raisi met with Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow to discuss the negotiations being held in Vienna and presented Moscow with draft documents on the future of Iran-Russia strategic ties. “We in Iran have no limits for expanding ties with Russia,” Raisi told Putin, adding that Tehran wants to develop ties with Moscow that would “not be temporary, but permanent and strategic.”