Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has arrived in Moscow for high-level consultations with Russian President Vladimir Putin following a wave of US air strikes that targeted three key Iranian nuclear facilities.

The visit comes amid surging regional tensions, with Washington justifying the strikes as a “necessary step” to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Speaking at a press conference during the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Istanbul, Araghchi stated: “Russia is a friend of Iran. We always consult. I’m heading to Moscow and will have serious talks with President Putin.”

Araghchi declared, “An attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities is a crossing of a major red line. Under Article 51 of the UN Charter, Iran reserves the right to defend itself — and we will respond.”

In Moscow, Russian National Security Council Deputy Chairman and former President Dmitry Medvedev issued a scathing criticism of President Trump, accusing him of dragging the US into a new war.

“Trump came to power claiming to be a man of peace, but he’s now thrown America into yet another conflict,” Medvedev said in a Telegram post.

He added that the air strikes failed to achieve their strategic goals, with only minor or no damage inflicted on Iran’s core nuclear infrastructure.

“Uranium enrichment and potential weaponization will continue,” he said, noting that several unnamed countries were prepared to supply Iran with nuclear warheads.

Medvedev also warned that Israel now faces a sustained security threat, with explosions rocking parts of the country.

“The US is entangled in a new conflict, and the prospect of a ground war is beginning to take shape,” he cautioned.

Meanwhile, Iran has hardened its stance on diplomacy. Araghchi revealed that just two days prior to the attacks, negotiations were underway in Geneva with European mediators.

“We were in the middle of talks with the US, but Israel sabotaged everything,” he said. “It wasn’t Iran, but the US that betrayed diplomacy.”

He concluded by declaring the Trump administration unfit for any future peace process.

“They have shown they do not understand diplomacy — only threats and force. It’s deeply regrettable,” Araghchi said.