Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow had still not seen any evidence that Iran was developing nuclear weapons, amid what he said was "essentially a war" ongoing in the Middle East.
Lavrov told Brunei's foreign minister during talks in Moscow: "We still see no evidence that Iran was developing nuclear weapons, which was the main, if not the only, justification for the war."
Lavrov also warned that the war launched by the US and Israel against Iran could prompt not only Iran but also its Arab neighbors to seek to acquire nuclear weapons.
The widening war in the Middle East increased the risk that nuclear proliferation issues could spin out of control, Lavrov said.
Putin agrees to convey Iranian concerns about strikes on Middle East oil to Arab leaders
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin will convey to Iran concerns among Arab leaders about strikes on oil infrastructure in the region, the Kremlin said on Tuesday. Putin, the Kremlin said, would do his best to defuse tensions in the region.
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that so far there were no indications that the United States' involvement in the Middle East conflict would affect the pace of the peace talks on Ukraine, but added that "time will tell" given how much attention Washington was having to give the situation.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was clear that the US had more work to do in the Middle East, and that it was difficult to discuss a possible next meeting with Ukrainian and US delegations in Abu Dhabi.