Early Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered initiation of military conflict in Ukraine, explaining that the attack is being conducted in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter in line with standing against threats by Ukraine and NATO.
Kremlin recognized independence of two Ukrainian provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk three days prior to the attack on the neighboring country. On the second day of the military operation, Russian forces could reach parts of Ukrainian capital Kiev, so thousands of people fled their homes.
The United States and European countries discussed plans for imposing economic sanctions on Russia.
Iran Stance: Neither War, Nor Dominance
Simultaneous with the onset of the conflict in Ukraine, Iranian Foreign Ministry was carefully monitoring the situation on the ground. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi held a phone call with his Russian counterpart Thursday night, underlining the need for preserving interests of nations of the region.
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian tweeted, "The #Ukraine crisis is rooted in NATO's provocations. We don't believe that resorting to war is a solution. Imperative to establish ceasefire & to find a political and democratic resolution."
Iranian administration's spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi wrote on his Twitter account on Friday that security concerns about the growing and provocative expansion of NATO eastward are understandable to all independent countries that are opposed to US hegemony.
Bahadori Jahromi also stressed the importance of remaining committed to the international law and relying on dialogue and diplomacy as the main solution to end the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that the Islamic Republic urges both warring sides to halt military conflict and pursue secession of hostility in order to pave the way for immediate negotiation to find political resolution for the crisis.
In fact, the Islamic Republic sees the United States' ambitions and military presence as the root cause of crises in West Asia.
Tehran has adopted an independent stance in dealing with the war between Russia and Ukraine, condemning the US-NATO expansionism in East Europe, while emphasizing that military conflict cannot resolve any crisis.
In contradiction with propaganda campaign against the administration of President Raisi, the Iranian government follows up balanced position in dealing with the current war in the region.
Avoiding a hasty position, the administration tries hard to monitor the crisis and adopt rational stances in line with its own national interests.
Mohammad Javad Larijani, the secretary of the High Council for Human Rights in Iran, told IRNA that the Islamic Republic has not backed military operation against Ukraine, but at the same time Tehran has not closed eyes on the plots hatched by the US and its allies.
Former Deputy Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mohammadi said that Iran is against both war and eastward advancement of NATO and that NATO expansion can pose a threat against the Islamic Republic.
Former spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry Hamid-Reza Asefi urged other countries to avoid tying their security to the US.
Ebrahim Mottaqi, a professor at University of Tehran, noted that Ukraine has been attacked because Kiev refused to give importance to power politics.
The Islamic Republic has adopted a realistic approach towards the war in Ukraine. The conflict is happening when Iran and the P4+1 group (Britain, France, Russia, China plus Germany) hold talks in Vienna, Austria, to lift anti-Iran sanctions, so such developments in the region can change balance of power and other variables; hence, Tehran does not take hastily stances in this respect.
1424
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