UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Russian UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said Thursday that his country condemns all forms of external interference, incitement to violence, and threats of use of force against Iran.
At a Security Council meeting on the situation in Iran, Nebenzia called on the United States to put an end to its escalatory actions.
He noted that "the extremely dangerous and irresponsible rhetoric" in recent days by the U.S. leadership has gone as far as openly calling for the takeover of state institutions of Iran and threats to assist the protesters.
"Such statements amount to nothing other than incitement to violently overthrow the constitutional order of a sovereign state," said the ambassador.
"What is happening in Iran is yet another example of the use of tried and tested methods for a color revolution in which specially trained armed provocateurs transform peaceful protests into senseless violence," said Nebenzia.
"As we have already seen repeatedly in a number of states, all these actions are either directed or supported by external forces that are interested in a so-called regime change," he noted.
The ambassador said that the United States and its "cheerleaders" are actively exploiting the economic and social difficulties faced by ordinary Iranians -- caused by unlawful sanctions imposed on Iran by Western states -- to inflame public tensions and destabilize the domestic political situation.
"What is most concerning is Washington's aggressive course toward the use of military force and threats of its use against Iran. We condemn such actions, no matter what arguments are used to justify them, as a gross violation of international law and the UN Charter," said Nebenzia.
"We strongly urge the hotheads in Washington and other capitals, who seem to be contemplating a repeat military venture, to come to their senses and avoid a repetition of the tragedy of June 2025, when U.S.-Israeli aggression nearly resulted in a major nuclear catastrophe with inevitable humanitarian and environmental consequences," he said.
Russia demands that the United States and its like-minded partners refrain from further reckless steps, including those involving nuclear facilities, and rather focus on providing solid assurances against further confrontation and resume joint efforts to find potential solutions, said the ambassador. ■
