The Kremlin on Wednesday said it welcomed a last-minute ceasefire agreement between the United States, Israel and Iran, as the war risked further escalation amid threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to strike Iranian power plants and bridges if it did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
“From the outset, we’ve stressed the necessity of de-escalating tensions as quickly as possible and a shift toward political and diplomatic talks,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters at a daily briefing.
“We welcome the news of a ceasefire and support the decision not to pursue further military escalation,” the spokesman added. “Each side should be able to defend its interests at the negotiating table, rather than through military action.”
The United States, Israel and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire on Wednesday, an 11th-hour deal that could pull the region back from the brink of wider war and ease pressure from what has become the worst oil supply shock in history.
Questions remain about when the ceasefire will start, as countries across the Middle East continued to report airstrikes hours after the deal was announced. At the same time, ship navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is still effectively suspended, with Danish shipping company Maersk saying the two-week ceasefire has yet to provide enough security for it to resume normal operations in the narrow waterway.
The warring sides have not made the details of the ceasefire agreement public.
Trump had warned that a “whole civilization will die tonight” ahead of a deadline he set for Iran to agree to a peace deal and open up the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil supplies normally pass.
Pakistan, which mediated the ceasefire, France and Egypt said fighting would also pause in Lebanon, which Israel invaded last month as part of an offensive against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Israel said fighting would continue.
Russia is one of Iran’s closest partners. It condemned U.S.-Israeli attacks on the Islamic republic as an “unprovoked act of armed aggression” and has repeatedly called for an end to the war.
In 2025, the two countries signed a strategic partnership agreement that includes provisions for countering shared threats. However, the pact stops short of mutual defense obligations, unlike the security agreement Russia has signed with North Korea.
Russia has reportedly been providing Iran with intelligence and advice on drone tactics as it launches attacks in retaliation for U.S.-Israeli strikes.
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