Russia condemned actions aimed at harming or killing members of Iran's leadership, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced on Wednesday. Russia firmly condemned attacks against Iranian officials and nuclear facilities in Iran, following recent events in Tehran and near the Bushehr nuclear power plant. The Kremlin, through its spokesman Dmitry Peskov, stated: 'We firmly condemn actions aimed at harming the health or, even more, at assassinating representatives of the leadership of a sovereign and independent Iran, as well as other countries.' Meanwhile, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran reported that the attack caused no material damage or casualties, though it was classified as a violation of international law. The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Argentine Rafael Grossi, warned on Sunday about the extreme risks facing the Bushehr plant and stated that the situation around it is his main concern amidst the war in the Middle East. In another development, spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, issued a stern warning about the ecological consequences of military attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran. Likhachev added that the attack—the first of its kind since the start of military actions by the U.S. and Israel against Iran—occurred at 18:11 Moscow time (15:11 GMT) on Tuesday. Rosatom reported it has already begun preparations for the third phase of evacuation of its personnel in Bushehr; 480 Russian workers currently remain at the plant. It also denied that Washington has presented evidence of a supposed exchange of satellite imagery and drone production technology between Russia and Iran. Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear corporation, also commented. Its director, Alexei Likhachev, condemned the attack near the Bushehr nuclear plant and warned of risks to nuclear security: 'Shooting at operating nuclear power plants is a blatant violation of the fundamental norms and principles of international security,' he told RIA Novosti. 'We condemn such actions.' Peskov responded this way after Iran confirmed the death of Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, and Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Basij volunteer forces, reported the Argentine News Agency. Following the fires and thick smoke that blackened parts of Tehran on March 8, Zakharova stated that the debris and waste—including burned oil, damaged military equipment, ammunition, chemicals, and construction waste—will create long-term environmental challenges. Zakharova emphasized that this accumulation of by-products could cause unprecedented emissions of greenhouse gases and increase soil, groundwater, and coastal pollution, affecting not only Iran but the entire region and beyond.
