Russia finally broke silence on June 19, 2025 and sent a strong message to the US, saying that the consequences of (US) military intervention in the Iran-Israel War would be “Extremely Dangerous“. Addressing a press conference in Moscow, Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry, stressed: “We would like to particularly warn Washington against military intervention in the situation, which would be an extremely dangerous step with truly unpredictable negative consequences.“

The head of Russia’s Nuclear Energy Corporation, too, warned that an Israeli attack on Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant could lead to a “Chernobyl-style catastrophe“. It may be noted that Russia built the nuclear power plant (the only operating one in Iran) in Bushehr. Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned the US against offering direct military aid to Israel, stating: “We caution Washington against even speculative, hypothetical options of this kind. It would be a step that would radically destabilise the entire situation.“

On June 19, Zakharova said that the Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear infrastructure would mean the world was “millimetres from catastrophe“. She recalled that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recently noted specific damage in the Iranian nuclear power plant, saying: “Nuclear facilities are being struck.” Zakharova further referred to the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant in Japan, telling Reuters: “Where is the (concern from the) entire world community? Where are all the environmentalists? I don’t know if they think they are far away and that this (radiation) wave won’t reach them. Well, let them read what happened at Fukushima.“

Although President Donald John Trump has not yet clarified whether the US would launch a direct attack on Iran, Russia, China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have called for an immediate end to the Iran-Israel conflict. Reports suggest that Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin discussed the issue with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. Later, the Kremlin issued a statement, mentioning that President Putin and President Xi strongly condemned the Israeli airstrikes, codenamed Operation Rising Lion, on Iran. President Putin also made separate phone calls to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin ‘Bibi’ Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, offering to mediate between them.

Earlier, President Trump claimed that his Russian counterpart called him on June 17 mainly to inform him that he (Putin) was ready to mediate the Iran-Israel conflict. The US President told the press: “He actually offered to help mediate. I said: ‘Do me a favour, mediate your own’. I said: ‘Vladimir, let’s mediate Russia first, you can worry about this later.’“

Meanwhile, President Putin firmly refused to discuss the possibility of the US and Israel assassinating Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, stating that the Iranian people were rallying around their leadership in Tehran even after Prime Minister Netanyahu hinted at regime change and President Trump claimed to know Khamenei’s exact location. Talking to the media on the sidelines of the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 19, the Russian strongman said: “If I may, I hope that this will be the most correct answer to your question. I do not even want to discuss this possibility. I do not want to.” He added: “We see that today in Iran, with all the complexity of the internal political processes taking place there… that there is a consolidation of society around the country’s political leadership.” At the same time, Putin mentioned: “It’s possible to reach a formula that allows Iran to pursue civilian nuclear development while easing Israel’s concerns.”

Mystery Flights From China To Iran Raise Eyebrows
Five Boeing 747 aircraft have reportedly flown from China to Iran amid rising tensions with Israel. Citing FlightRadar24 (one of the best live flight tracker companies that shows air traffic in real time), the US media outlet Fox News reported that the five aircraft took off from various locations in China on June 14 and travelled a discreet route westward along China’s northern air corridor. Then, they descend through Central Asia – Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan – before vanishing from radar near the Iranian airspace. The report prompted speculation that Beijing might be covertly supporting Tehran during escalating tensions with Tel Aviv.

Fox News quoted a source as saying that the Chinese planes were actually heading towards Luxembourg, but they never reached Europe. According to a section of geopolitical analysts, Beijing has sent a message that it stands by Tehran by sending the planes to Iran. Interestingly, neither China nor the airline has spoken publicly about the issue. It is still unclear whether the planes remain in Iran or have landed there for a while and flown elsewhere.

Boeing 747 aircraft are commonly used for passenger or cargo transport as these are not fighter jets. Hence, it is believed that China used such aircraft to send food, weapons or other daily necessities to Iran.

The Asian Giant has always maintained cordial ties with the Islamic Republic. Nearly 43% of the gas and oil imported by China to meet its domestic needs comes from West Asia, mainly from Iran. In a sense, Iran is a strategic partner of China in West Asia. As the distance between Beijing and Washington DC has widened in recent times because of the tariff war triggered by President Trump, China has decided to help Iran to counter threats posed by Israel, a friend of the US.

Overall, the situation in West Asia is becoming extremely complicated.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das