Five reasons why we may not see anything more than rhetoric from Russia after US attacks Iran

On the surface, at least, Moscow is fuming. Russia’s foreign ministry said it “strongly condemns” the US airstrikes on Iran, which it labelled a “dangerous escalation”. Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s powerful security council, accused Donald Trump of starting “a new war”, and others have called for Moscow to step in. “It’s time for us to help Tehran,” said Konstantin Malofeyev, a sanctioned Russian businessman who is close to Vladimir Putin. But this was to be expected. Israel-Iran live: ‘Incredible success’ of US strikes on Iran hailed by Hegseth Iran has been a vital ally in recent years,…