As Ukraine woke up to a pre-dawn invasion by the Russian military, officials in Tehran scrambled to take a diplomatic stance that would not harm their close ties with a key ally, the Kremlin.

"The Ukraine crisis is rooted in NATO's provocations," tweeted Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. He urged a "cease-fire" to allow for "a political and democratic resolution." The Iranian top diplomat's message carried neither a condemnation of Russia nor even a mention of the country.

Iran's state TV provided extensive and rolling coverage of the latest developments on the ground it called "Russia's Special Operation," borrowing the terminology used by President Vladimir Putin.

The sympathetic approach to Russia drew strong reactions from former politicians and pundits. "The state broadcaster is covering the war as if Iran is a Russia colony," wrote former deputy parliament speaker and outspoken Reformist figure Ali Motahari, who noted, "Iran ought to condemn the Russian aggression in Ukraine to demonstrate its independence," and reminded officials in Tehran of how Russians aided Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in his war against Iran in the 1980s.