Addressing UN, Russian FM accuses Israel of trying to ‘blow up’ the Middle East

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addresses the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters, in New York City, on September 27, 2025. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addresses the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters, in New York City, on September 27, 2025. (CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP)

UNITED NATIONS — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accuses Israel of seeking to “blow up” the whole Middle East as he criticized Israel’s attacks in Iran and Qatar and opposed calls to annex the West Bank.

“Israel’s illegal use of force against the Palestinians and aggressive actions against Iran, Qatar, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq today threaten to blow up the entire Middle East,” Lavrov says in a speech to the UN General Assembly.

Lavrov also accuses Western powers of sabotaging diplomacy on Iran through the reimposition of UN sanctions expected within hours.

The rejection of a Russian bid to extend the deadline “finally exposed the West’s policy of sabotaging the pursuit of constructive solutions in the UN Security Council, as well as its desire to extract unilateral concessions from Tehran through blackmail and pressure,” Lavrov tells the UN.

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