Russia guarantor of security in Middle East crisis — Iranian Security Council

BISHKEK, May 13. /TASS/. Russia has demonstrated through its actions at the United Nations that it serves as a guarantor of security amid the Middle East crisis, Iranian Supreme National Security Council Deputy Chairman Ali Bagheri said during a meeting with Russian Security Council Deputy Secretary Alexander Venediktov. Bagheri is leading Tehran’s delegation at the meeting of the secretaries of the security councils of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, with the talks between the Russian and Iranian security officials held on the sidelines of the event. According to Bagheri, "the actions of the Americans on the international stage have shown that they seek to turn the world into a kind of jungle where there is no place for the rule of law." "Russia’s firm stance opposing US and Israeli aggression has demonstrated in practice that Moscow, relying on international law, will not allow the world to be turned into a jungle," he said. Bagheri added that Russia’s decision to veto a US draft resolution at the UN Security Council "aimed at fostering instability" showed that Moscow acts as a guarantor of security. "We believe that Russia’s strategic vision can be summed up as preventing the United States from using the UN Security Council to legitimize its aggressive actions," he said. "Any US attempts to do so at the UN Security Council will be met with a smart counterstrategy from Russia." "In these difficult circumstances, the position of our friends becomes even clearer than under normal conditions," Bagheri stressed. "At a time when our people and our country are facing aggression from the Americans and the Zionists, the resolute stance of our friend and neighbor Russia, both bilaterally and on the international stage, merits our gratitude." "The Americans and Israelis have created threats not only to Iran’s national security and sovereignty, but also to international law, as well as regional and global stability and security," he added.