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China and Russia have condemned the United States and Israel’s joint military strikes on Iran.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: If you’re unaware, Iran is a strategic partner for both China and Russia. In the last decade, Russia and Iran have expanded military coordination, conducting joint naval drills and strengthening arms collaboration, with Russia relying heavily on Iranian-made Shahed drones for its war in Ukraine. In return, Iran has gained access to Russian military technology. China, meanwhile, serves as Iran’s largest oil customer, purchasing substantial volumes of discounted Iranian crude despite Western sanctions, and has invested in long-term infrastructure, energy, and transportation projects under broader strategic cooperation agreements.

What’s going on now: In a notable development, both Chinese and Russian officials have denounced the US and Israeli strikes as violations of international law and threats to global stability. China’s Foreign Ministry said it is “highly concerned over the military strikes against Iran launched by the U.S. and Israel,” stressing that “Iran’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity should be respected,” and calling for “an immediate stop of the military actions, no further escalation… [and] resumption of dialogue and negotiation.” China framed the operation as a destabilizing move that risks spiraling tensions across the Middle East.

Russia’s response was even sharper. Its Foreign Ministry labeled the operation “a pre-planned and unprovoked act of armed aggression against a sovereign and independent U.N. member state,” accusing the US and Israel of violating “the fundamental principles and norms of international law.” Russia warned that the scale of military deployment preceding the strikes showed clear intent and condemned what it described as an attack carried out under the “guise of a renewed negotiation process.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry further warned that the attack could trigger a “humanitarian, economic, and possibly radiological catastrophe,” placing full responsibility for the fallout on the United States and Israel.

At the United Nations, Russia’s ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council that the strikes were “another unprovoked act of armed aggression” and accused the US and Israel of “interfering in the internal affairs of Iran and… destroying a state that has found disfavor with the West.” He argued the operation amounted to “a betrayal of diplomacy” and said it had already led to “a sharp escalation of the situation across the region.”