The Kremlin has issued one of its strongest warnings yet regarding the escalating tensions between Iran, Israel, and the United States, stating that any attempt to assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would be an unacceptable provocation with dire global consequences.
Speaking in a rare interview with foreign media at the Constantine Palace in Saint Petersburg, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said (per Sky News): “The situation is extremely tense and is dangerous not only for the region but globally."
He added: "An enlargement of the composition of the participants of the conflict is potentially even more dangerous. It will lead only to another circle of confrontation and escalation of tension in the region.”
Peskov then said that Russia would respond “very negatively” to any attempt to assassinate Iran's supreme leader, warning that it would trigger uncontrollable instability in the region and beyond.
The comments come amid heightened speculation over U.S. involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict. President Trump recently suggested via social media that he is considering military action against Tehran, and hinted at the possibility of targeting senior Iranian leadership. He has said a final decision on American military participation will be made within two weeks.
For Russia, which has forged deeper strategic ties with Iran since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the possibility of regime change in Tehran or the assassination of Ayatollah Khamenei poses serious concerns.
Earlier this year, Moscow and Tehran signed a formal strategic partnership, and both nations have since intensified military and economic cooperation, Reuters reported.
“Regime change in Iran is unimaginable,” said Peskov. “It should be unacceptable, even talking about it should be unacceptable for everyone.”
His comments were widely interpreted as a direct rebuke to Washington’s hawkish rhetoric.
Peskov declined to comment on what specific steps Russia might take if Iran’s leadership were targeted, but warned such an act would ignite chaos from within the country.
“It would lead to the birth of extremist moods inside Iran,” he said (via Politico). “Those who are speaking about [killing Khamenei], they should keep it in mind, they will open the Pandora’s box.”
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Meanwhile, Russia’s attempts to position itself as a mediator in the crisis have been dismissed by Trump, who reportedly told Russian President Vladimir Putin to “mediate your own conflict," a pointed reference to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.
Asked if Trump’s remark was taken as an insult, Peskov replied diplomatically: “Everyone has a different language. President Trump has his own unique way of speaking. We are quite tolerant and expect everyone to be tolerant of us.”
As fighting continues in Ukraine, Peskov made clear that Moscow sees no reason to agree to a ceasefire. “Now we have a strategic advantage,” he said, via Sky News. “Why should we lose it? We are not going to lose it. We are going further. We’ll continue to advance.”
He added that any potential truce would only be possible if Western nations, particularly the U.S., halt their military support to Kyiv, something he said they show no signs of doing.