MOSCOW/OTTAWA/UNITED NATIONS/NEW YORK – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that US objectives in Iran remain vague.
“To act as a meaningful mediator, one naturally needs a clear understanding of the direction in which the parties are heading. So far, we do not see such clarity regarding the goals of our American colleagues,” Lavrov said at a press conference with Erywan Yusof, second minister of foreign affairs of Brunei Darussalam.
Lavrov described US-Israeli strikes against Iran as an act of aggression and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, adding that he did not expect any sanctions to be imposed on the United States and Israel over the attack on Iran.
“We still do not see evidence that Iran has been developing nuclear weapons, which was the main, if not the only, justification for these actions,” Lavrov said. “There is confirmation from the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as from senior US intelligence officials. There is clear evidence that Iran has not produced or attempted to produce nuclear weapons.
US, Israel urged to respect rules of international engagement
Also on Tuesday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney expressed regret over the failure of the international order in the Middle East, imploring all parties, including the United States and Israel, to “respect the rules of international engagement”.
“Canada calls for a rapid de-escalation of hostilities and is prepared to assist in achieving this goal,” he told reporters in Sydney during his visit to Australia, according to a statement issued Tuesday.
Despite decades of UN Security Council resolutions and efforts by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran’s nuclear threat remains, he said. However, the United States and Israel have acted without engaging the United Nations or consulting with allies, including Canada, he added.
‘France cannot approve military actions’
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said the military operations launched by the US and Israel were conducted “outside international law” and could not be approved by France.
In a televised address on the situation in Iran and the Middle East, Macron said the conflict triggered by the strikes carried out by the United States and Israel was now spreading across the region, posing serious consequences for peace and security.
Macron confirmed that the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is being dispatched to the Mediterranean Sea in response to the deteriorating situation in the region. The vessel had been in Sweden for military exercises.
He said the frigate Languedoc and additional air defense assets are also being deployed to Cyprus. The British air base at Akrotiri on the southern coast of Cyprus was hit by a drone early Monday.
EU-UN strategic committee supports UN Charter
In New York, the European Union-United Nations Strategic Committee on Peace and Security held its first meeting on Tuesday, with delegations reaffirming their strong support for the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and for a rules-based international order anchored in international law, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general.
The EU-UN Strategic Committee on Peace and Security, which meets annually, is a forum established in 2025 to steer strategic planning, enhance coordination, and strengthen cooperation between EU Common Security and Defence Policy missions and UN peace operations.
During the meeting, the delegations exchanged views on the evolving global peace and security landscape and discussed the future of UN peacekeeping operations and special political missions, and the future orientation of EU missions and operations, the spokesperson said in a daily briefing.
Looking ahead, the European Union and UN agreed to place particular emphasis on their cooperation on transitions; the women, peace and security agenda; climate, peace and security; strategic planning as well as conflict prevention and peacebuilding, Dujarric said.
US demonstrators take to streets
In another development, the attacks on Iran sparked a wave of nationwide protests in around 50 cities across the United States on Monday.
The conflict has the potential to quickly expand into a devastating regional war which will bring unthinkable death and destruction, Answer Coalition, one of the organizers of the protests, said in a statement issued on Monday.
“Already, other countries in the region have been drawn into the war. (US President Donald) Trump is lying when he says that Iran poses any kind of threat to the United States,” said the statement.
Answer Coalition, which stands for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism, called for a mass anti-war movement to “put an end to this destruction.”
Hundreds of people rallied at Columbus Circle in Manhattan, New York City, calling on Trump’s administration to end Washington’s military involvement in Iran.
This was the second major protest in New York City in recent days against the US-Israeli joint airstrikes targeting Iran. Speaking at the rally, protesters expressed strong opposition to the ongoing military action.
“The attack that the United States waged on Iran was not only illegal against international law, but … also unprovoked,” said Gabriela Silva, a volunteer with Answer Coalition.
The US attack on Iran does not protect the interests of American people, and the proposed over-$1 trillion-budget that the United States spends on war, death and destruction should be invested in sustaining life for people here, Silva said.