"The military standoff needs to stop in order to stabilize the situation," Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabko said.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) questioned the idea of Russian President Vladimir Putin playing a role in the negotiations between Israel and Iran, citing how Putin did “nothing” when Syria requested Russia’s aid last year.

Moscow presents itself as Tehran's ally, but its real ambition may be to turn Middle East chaos into a global diplomatic windfall.