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.
