Moscow Rejects Sanctions Against Tehran, Warns US of Meddling in Its Affairs

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. REUTERS/Fabrice Coffrini/Pool
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. REUTERS/Fabrice Coffrini/Pool
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Moscow Rejects Sanctions Against Tehran, Warns US of Meddling in Its Affairs

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. REUTERS/Fabrice Coffrini/Pool
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. REUTERS/Fabrice Coffrini/Pool

Russia warned the United States against intervening in Iran and exploiting the situation there to undermine the agreement on Tehran’s nuclear program.

It has also called on the United Nations to condemn the “US interference” in Iran’s domestic affairs and considered the holding of a Security Council session to discuss the situation in the Persian State as “not constructive”.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday, as quoted by TASS news agency: “We warn the US against attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran. What is happening there is an internal affair, which attracts the attention of the international community,” he added.

Commenting on the latest developments in Iran, Ryabkov noted: “Despite numerous attempts to distort the essence of what is going on, I am certain that our neighbor, the country that is friendly to us, will be able to overcome the current difficulties and emerge from the current period as a stronger nation and a reliable partner in solving various problems, including those related to further implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).”

Ryabkov accused the US of intending to exploit the current situation in Iran, in an attempt to undermine the international commitment to Iran’s nuclear deal.

“The current situation when Washington yields to temptation to take advantage of the moment to bring up new questions with regard to the JCPOA testifies to a deliberate attempt to undermine the global community’s commitment to the JCPOA,” the Russian diplomat stated. “That does no credit to our American counterparts.”

He underlined Russia’s firm stance with regards to preserving the nuclear deal, adding that the agreements that have been reached were an important factor in strengthening regional and global stability.

In a separate interview with RIA Novosti, Ryabkov said that his country rejected US threats to expand sanctions against Russia and to impose new sanctions against Iran.

He was replying to remarks by US State Department’s Spokeswoman Heather Nauert, who said that the US was considering sanctions as a possibility of responding to Iranian authorities’ practices against protesters.



At Least 14 Killed and More Than 40 Wounded in Kyiv After Russian Drone and Missile Attack 

Rescue workers clear the rubble of a multi-storey residential house destroyed by a Russian strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP)
Rescue workers clear the rubble of a multi-storey residential house destroyed by a Russian strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP)
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At Least 14 Killed and More Than 40 Wounded in Kyiv After Russian Drone and Missile Attack 

Rescue workers clear the rubble of a multi-storey residential house destroyed by a Russian strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP)
Rescue workers clear the rubble of a multi-storey residential house destroyed by a Russian strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP)

A combined Russian missile and drone attack in Kyiv overnight Tuesday killed at least 14 people and wounded 44 others, according to Ukrainian officials.

Kyiv City Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko said 14 people had been killed in the attack which hollowed out a residential building and destroyed dozens of apartments. Emergency workers were at the scene to rescue people from under the rubble.

Ukraine’s Emergency Service said 44 people were wounded.

The attack, the latest in a spate of mass drone and missile attacks on Kyiv, occurred as world leaders convened at the Group of Seven meeting in Canada, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to attend. The summit runs through Tuesday.

Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko told reporters at the scene that a US citizen was killed in the attack after suffering wounds from shrapnel. Explosions could be heard for hours throughout the night on Tuesday.

Thirty apartments were destroyed in a single residential block, Klymenko said.

People were wounded in the city's Sviatoshynskyi and Solomianskyi districts. Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said fires broke out in two other Kyiv districts as a result of falling debris from drones shot down by Ukrainian air defenses.

Canada, which assumed the presidency of the G7 this year, invited Zelenskyy to the summit, where he is expected to hold one-on-one meetings with world leaders.

Zelenskyy was set to meet with US President Donald Trump in Canada on Tuesday, though the White House announced that Trump would be returning unexpectedly to Washington on Monday night instead of Tuesday night because of tensions in the Mideast.

Russia has launched a record number of drones and missiles in recent weeks. Moscow escalated attacks after Ukraine's Security Service agency staged an audacious operation targeting war planes in air bases deep inside Russian territory.

Little progress has emerged from direct peace talks held in Istanbul, with the exception of prisoner exchanges, expected to conclude next week, said Zelenskyy.