Russia Urges Halt to US-Israel Strikes on Iran After Port Attack

Moscow (Reuters) - Russia on Thursday urged an immediate halt to U.S. and Israeli military actions against Iran, expressing alarm over a recent joint strike on the Iranian port of Bandar Anzali that threatens to widen the ongoing conflict in the Middle East to the Caspian Sea region.

The strike, which occurred on March 18, targeted the port on Iran's Caspian Sea coast, destroying the Customs House and several other structures, according to local reports. Bandar Anzali serves as a vital trade and logistics hub, facilitating commerce between Russia and Iran, including shipments of food and other goods. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova highlighted the attack's potential to disrupt economic interests for Russia and other Caspian states that rely on transport links through the port.

"We are watching with growing alarm the expanding geography of Israeli and U.S. air strikes in Iran," Zakharova said in a statement. She described the port as a key node in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a multimodal route connecting Mumbai to St. Petersburg via Iran, designed to enhance trade between Asia and Europe by bypassing the Suez Canal. Signed in...