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Russian officials on Sunday castigated the US for its missile strike against Iran’s nuclear plants, issuing veiled threats that Iran’s nuclear ambitions would not be thwarted and welcoming Tehran’s foreign minister for talks in Moscow.

Meanwhile Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned ‘Ayatollah Putin’ to expect a similar fate, as the country that has been cast as a pariah by the west for its full scale invasion of Ukraine sought to assume the role of honest broker.

A statement from Russia’s Foreign Ministry “strongly condemned” the airstrikes and called them a “a gross violation of international law, the UN Charter, and UN Security Council resolutions.”

Dmitry Medvedev, who serves as deputy head of President Vladimir Putin’s Security Council, said several countries were prepared to supply Tehran with nuclear weapons. He didn’t specify which, but said the US attack caused minimal damage and would not stop Tehran from pursuing nuclear weapons.

The Iranian foreign minister told a press conference earlier he will fly to Moscow today and have a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

“Russia is a friend of Iran and we enjoy a strategic partnership,” he told a news conference in Istanbul.

“We always consult with each other and coordinate our positions,” Araghchi said, noting that Russia was one of the signatories of the UN agreement on nuclear proliferation in Iran.

“I will have serious consultations with the Russian president tomorrow and we continue to work with each other,” he said.

Zelenskyy points to brazen double standard

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy underlined the irony of Russia pointing the finger at the US for alleged breaches of the global rulebook, in a post on X in which he stated that the country had once again signalled it wanted no ceasefire in Ukraine.

“Ayatollah Putin can look at his friends in Iran to see where such regimes end up, and how far into decay they drive their countries,” Zelenskyy warned the Russian President in a post on X.

Zelenskyy said “Russia wants to wage war. Even brandishing some threats. This means the pressure the world is applying isn’t hurting them enough yet, or they are trying very hard to keep up appearances. Well, the Russian economy is already crumbling. We will support this process even more.”

Israel-Iran War LIVE | Nations React To US Strikes On Iran

China: A flash commentary from China’s government-run media asked whether the U.S. is “repeating its Iraq mistake in Iran.” The online piece by CGTN, the foreign-language arm of the state broadcaster, said the U.S. strikes mark a dangerous turning point. “History has repeatedly shown that military interventions in the Middle East often produce unintended consequences, including prolonged conflicts and regional destabilization,” it said, citing the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. It said a measured, diplomatic approach that prioritizes dialogue over military confrontation offers the best hope for stability in the Middle East.

New Zealand: New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters urged “all parties to return to talks.” He wouldn’t tell reporters Sunday whether New Zealand supported President Trump’s actions, saying they had only just happened. The three-time foreign minister said the crisis is “the most serious I’ve ever dealt with” and that it was “critical further escalation is avoided.” “Diplomacy will deliver a more enduring resolution than further military action,” he said.

Japan: Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is expected to hold a meeting with key ministers Sunday afternoon to discuss the impact of the U.S. attack, according to Japan’s NHK television.

South Korea: South Korea’s presidential office said it would hold an emergency meeting Sunday to discuss the security and economic ramifications of the U.S. strikes and potential South Korean responses.

Australia: Australia, which shuttered its embassy in Tehran and evacuated staff Friday, pushed for a diplomatic end to the conflict. “We have been clear that Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile program has been a threat to international peace and security,” a government official said in a written statement. “We note the U.S. President’s statement that now is the time for peace.” “The security situation in the region is highly volatile. We continue to call for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy.”

United Kingdom: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on Iran to “return to the negotiating table” over its nuclear ambitions after the US carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. “Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat,” Starmer said on X, adding that “stability in the region is a priority”. “We call on Iran to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis.”

Analysis: Likely Iran will lash out to divide and survive – with UK potentially in firing line

By Dominic Waghorn, international affairs editor

Donald Trump has upped the ante by choosing to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities, so what happens next, and how bad could things get?

The US president has given the Iranians a choice: negotiate or face devastating escalation.

The next move is down to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader.

He has spent his entire life trying to roll back American power and influence in the region. Expecting him to negotiate with the US now – with B-2 bombers held to his head – is a tall order. More likely, he will order some kind of retaliation, at least for now

He will want to deter Trump from launching more attacks and may calculate that killing Americans is the best way of doing so.

The ayatollah knows it could drive a wedge between Trump and his MAGA supporters, who say America is getting drawn into yet another Middle Eastern war, risking US lives.

There are plenty of US targets for Iran to aim at, with bases throughout the Middle East – Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The Iranians could attack them directly with drones and missiles, or use proxies in the region – Iran-backed militias in Iraq or the Houthis based in Yemen.

Iran could threaten shipping and the oil industry in the Persian Gulf. If the Gulf becomes a war zone, expect a big hit to the global economy and the price of oil to rocket.

But all that would invite massive retaliation from the US. The Trump administration has spelled that out in no uncertain terms.

America has sent an awesome amount of firepower to the region: three aircraft carrier groups bristling with fighter jets and submarines loaded with cruise missiles.

So the Iranians may instead go for the kind of asymmetric warfare they excel at. The UK could be in the firing line too. We could see Iranian terrorist attacks here in Britain.

One way or another, this is almost certain to escalate, but could it widen and draw other countries into the conflict?

Russia and Iran have a strategic partnership agreement but it doesn’t require Russia to come to its support.

Iran is also China’s closest ally in the Middle East, but Beijing is also likely to sit this one out and watch from the sidelines.

Wars have unintended consequences but there are strong reasons for other powers to avoid becoming involved in this one.

Looking further ahead, there are two competing priorities to watch:

For Iran’s leadership, it is all about survival. To absorb the blows and live to fight another day, and eventually build the bomb if it can, to stop this ever happening to them again.

And Israel is equally determined that will not happen.

Watch below: Netanyahu praises Trump after US strikes

One method would be regime change in Iran, but its leadership is proving resilient so far despite the mounting challenges it faces.

Instead, it faces a long period of managing the threat posed by Iran. It will need to monitor the Iranians, watching for signs they are developing their missile programme, meddling in the region or reviving their nuclear project and then cutting them down to size when necessary.

That could mean years more of military action and could be hugely costly for Israel and its backers, the US taxpayer.

In summary, Iran’s leadership is in a very tight spot and is likely to lash out.

But the future will not be a walk in the park for Israel either – and there are big risks for America, too.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei spoke exclusively to CNN’s Fred Pleitgen in Iran after the US attacked three key nuclear facilities in the country. CNN

Iran is witnessing a “betrayal of diplomacy” by the Trump administration, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson told CNN Sunday.

“They cannot talk about diplomacy, they betrayed diplomacy,” Esmail Baghaei said about the Trump administration. He said, however, that “diplomacy never ends.”

“No one knows what will happen next, but what is sure is that the responsibility of the consequences of this war must be borne by the United States and Israel,” he said.

The diplomat refused to say how Iran might respond to the military strikes by the US on its nuclear sites early Sunday, nor what had been damaged, but said Tehran “is entitled … to exercise its right of self-defense.”

He added: “And we will do that for sure.”

Baghaei said President Donald Trump’s recent statements and threats of more attacks were “bullying at a global level.”

He warned that the attacks by Israel and the US leave the region in an “unprecedently dangerous” position.

The spokesperson said Iran had been “absolutely restrained” in its response to Israel and had targeted only military and security targets. Israel, for its part, has said Iran has attacked civilian targets in its cities.

Israeli officials, such as Defense Minister Israel Katz, have said Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei “cannot continue to exist” – a statement Baghaei called “despicable” and “outrageous.”

“Threatening a state sovereign leader with an act of terror simply shows the nature of the Israeli regime,” he said.

Baghaei, who served in the Iranian United Nations mission in New York between 2006 and 2010, said Iran had been trying its “best for diplomacy and peace.”

“History will not forgive what is being done by the US administration,” he said.

Israel-Iran conflict: US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday morning (Indian time) that American forces successfully struck three Iranian nuclear sites. The targets — Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan — have long been central to Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. The operation was carried out by B-2 bombers, according to CNN, with all American aircraft safely leaving Iranian airspace after the strikes.

“We have completed our very successful attack on the three nuclear sites in Iran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “A full payload of bombs was dropped on Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American warriors. There is no other military like this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!”

The strikes come as tensions in the region enter their second week. Trump earlier gave Iran a two-week deadline to negotiate a nuclear deal with the US.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Mehr News Agency reported that the country had evacuated personnel from the three nuclear sites in advance. The three nuclear sites the US says it struck “some time ago.” According to the broadcaster, Iran had relocated its nuclear stockpiles from those sites to secure locations.

What we know about Iran’s key nuclear sites

Natanz: Located 250 kilometers south of Tehran, Natanz is Iran’s largest uranium enrichment center. The facility houses six above-ground buildings and three underground halls capable of containing up to 50,000 centrifuges, which enrich uranium for potential weapons use.

Fordow: Situated deep inside mountains near Qom, Fordow is considered one of Iran’s most fortified nuclear sites. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) estimates that Iran had been enriching uranium up to 60% at Fordow — well above civilian requirements — making it a significant target.

Isfahan: Home to Iran’s largest nuclear research complex, Isfahan houses a fuel production plant, research reactors, and other critical facilities. Established with Chinese support in 1984, the site is key to Iran’s nuclear program.

Why is Iran under attack? Iran is under attack primarily because Israel aims to halt Tehran’s nuclear program, which it views as an existential threat. Since June 13, 2025, Israel has launched airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites, including uranium enrichment facilities and centrifuge production plants near Tehran and Isfahan. These strikes have killed hundreds, including civilians and military personnel, and damaged key infrastructure.

Israel’s goal is to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons capability, which it believes would destabilise the Middle East and threaten Israeli security. In retaliation, Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel, escalating the conflict. The war also involves targeted killings of senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders linked to arms transfers to proxy groups. Diplomatic efforts have so far failed, and Iran’s leadership warns that any US intervention would be extremely dangerous, underscoring the high stakes of this ongoing conflict.

What IAEA said? The IAEA, which initially flagged Iran’s uranium enrichment activities, told Sky News that despite Iran enriching uranium up to 60%, the agency cannot confirm any systematic effort by Iran to produce a nuclear weapon. However, Iran’s failure to meet its safeguards obligations, as noted in a recent IAEA report, combined with Israel’s Operation Rising Lion strikes, has heightened serious international concerns.

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