Russia remained largely silent for almost two weeks after mass protests erupted in Iran, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov saying Thursday that "no third party can alter the fundamental nature of relations" between the two countries.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented on the situation in Iran — which has been steadily escalating for nearly 20 days — for the first time on Tuesday, blaming what she called the West's "illegal sanctions pressure" which, in her words, "creates economic and social problems."
