Iran Does Not Want an Escalation, Russia Told Israel

On Friday, Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that his country informed Israel that Iran does not want an escalation of the conflict.

RELATED:

Suspicious Man Who Entered Iranian Consulate in Paris Arrested

"There were telephone contacts between the leaders of Russia and Iran and between our representatives and the Israelis. In these conversations, we made it very clear that Iran does not want an escalation," the Russian diplomat said in an interview.

Lavrov indicated that Tehran could not leave the Israeli attack on its consulate in Damascus unanswered, but does not want an escalation. "Virtually all experts assessed Iran's actual response in the same way," he added.

The Russian diplomat was referring to the Iranian attack on Israel that occurred on April 13, when Israeli forces managed to intercept 99 percent of nearly 300 missiles and drones launched into their territory.

In the early hours of Friday, Israel launched several missiles towards the province of Isfahan in Iran. The country's authorities said its anti-aircraft defenses had shot down "several flying objects."

Anonymous sources cited by the Jerusalem Post newspaper stated that this Friday's attack should be interpreted as a warning to Tehran about Israeli offensive capabilities and as a sign that Israel is not seeking a regional war.

"The message was unmistakable: This time we decided not to attack their nuclear facilities, but it could have been worse," those sources said.

For his part, Lavrov insisted today that Iran does not have nuclear weapons and maintained that this has already been verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The Russian diplomat explained that all speculation about changes in Iran's nuclear doctrine only seeks to distract international opinion while Israel continues its operations in Gaza.