Russian Foreign Ministry Urges the U.S. to 'Refrain from Interfering in Iran's Internal Affairs'

While American officials consistently emphasize their support for anti-government protesters in Iran, Russia on Thursday, January 4, urged U.S. officials to refrain from what Moscow considers 'interference in Iran's internal affairs.' According to the Russian news agency TASS, Sergey Ryabkov, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, stated that Moscow requests the U.S. to 'not interfere in Iran's internal affairs.' For some time, Russia has been considered an ally of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Middle East, particularly assisting the Syrian government against its opponents and expressing similar positions on regional geopolitical issues. In the past week, the Islamic Republic has faced a new challenge as anti-government protests, which have spread to over 90 cities in Iran, entered their seventh day on Wednesday. The crackdown on these protests has so far resulted in at least 22 deaths and over a thousand protesters being arrested. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has expressed his full support for the protesters in Iran through daily messages, with other American officials also issuing similar statements. In this context, Nikki Haley, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, called for an emergency Security Council meeting regarding developments in Iran on Tuesday, January 3. In response to Haley's request, Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, reacted sharply on her Facebook page, criticizing the recent handling of domestic protests in some U.S. cities by the U.S. government. The Iranian mission to the United Nations also issued a statement calling Haley's 'performance' on Tuesday a 'disgusting crocodile tear show.' Meanwhile, Gholamali Khoshroo, Iran's permanent representative to the UN, sent a letter to the Secretary-General and UN officials complaining about what he termed 'Washington's blatant interference in Iran's internal affairs.' He wrote that Donald Trump and his Vice President, Mike Pence, are 'personally inciting chaos in Iran.' Mike Pence, the U.S. Vice President, addressed the protesting youth in the streets of Iran on Wednesday, stating that in their pursuit of freedom and democracy, they should consider the United States their 'natural ally' and announced that the U.S. is prepared to act in support of the protesters, utilizing 'all its economic weight' against the Iranian government. Another regional partner of Iran, China, has so far refrained from expressing a view similar to Russia's regarding the situation in Iran, but on Wednesday, Geng Shuang, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, stated that Beijing has 'reviewed reports regarding the situation in Iran' and 'hopes that stability is maintained in Iran and that the country develops.' On Thursday, the German Engineering Association (VDMA) announced that the protests in Iran have not yet impacted Germany's trade relations with Iran. According to Reuters, Ulrich Ackermann, a business expert from the association, stated that existing contracts with Iran are still being fulfilled, and it is unclear whether Iran's demand for German machinery will decrease in the coming months. He added, 'Currently, there is no definitive assessment possible regarding whether the internal political situation will lead to a closing business environment in Iran or a reduction in investments.'