US, Israel want to draw Arab countries into military conflict with Iran — senior diplomat

Lead

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Borisenko said the United States and Israel are seeking to involve Arab countries in a military confrontation with Iran in order to derail Arab-Iranian normalization. His remarks were made at the 6th International Scientific and Expert Forum "Russia-Middle East," organized by the Primakov Center for Foreign Policy Cooperation together with the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Coverage Comparison

Borisenko's comments, as reported by TASS, cover two main topics: the alleged US-Israeli efforts regarding Iran and the recent visit of Vladimir Zelensky to Middle Eastern countries. Both sets of remarks were delivered at the same forum, and TASS reported them in separate articles, each with its own headline and focus.

The first article focuses on Borisenko's assertion that US and Israeli actions clearly reveal an effort to undermine Arab-Iranian normalization and to involve Arabs in a military confrontation with the Iranians. Borisenko said Washington was well aware that aggression against Iran would push it to strike at Persian Gulf countries, a fact the Iranians had explicitly warned about in advance. He emphasized that the US once again ignored the opinion of its Arab allies, who persistently urged against launching military operations against Tehran for fear of being drawn into this dangerous venture.

The second article covers Borisenko's comments on the visit of Vladimir Zelensky to Middle Eastern countries. Borisenko called Zelensky a "puppet of Western states" and said the Gulf states' decision to host him is "their right, but cooperation with him is unlikely to yield any positive results." He added that just as Western bases and servicemen stationed in the Arabian Peninsula have brought no good and only invited trouble upon these states, so too would Zelensky's visit bring no added value to "our Arab friends."

Key Claims

• Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Borisenko stated at the 6th International Scientific and Expert Forum that the US and Israel are seeking to involve Arab countries in a military confrontation with Iran to derail Arab-Iranian normalization.
• Borisenko said Washington ignored Arab allies' warnings against launching military operations against Tehran, as reported by TASS.
• The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28, according to the same account. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some other key Iranian leaders were killed in the joint US-Israeli attack.
• Regarding Zelensky's visit, Borisenko said the Gulf states' decision to host him is unlikely to yield positive results, characterizing him as a "puppet of Western states."