US helpless as Middle East burns: Moscow blames Biden’s policy failures

In a biting critique of U.S. foreign policy, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova declared that Washington’s approach to the Middle East under President Joe Biden has been a “complete failure” amid escalating violence in the region.

Speaking shortly after Iran launched a major missile barrage against Israel, Zakharova said the surge in hostilities underscores the helplessness of U.S. efforts to manage the crisis.

“This bloody drama is just ramping up,” Zakharova stated, highlighting what she described as the chaos unfolding under U.S. leadership. “Incoherent statements by the White House demonstrate its total helplessness in resolving crises. Efforts by [Secretary of State Antony] Blinken have led to tens of thousands of casualties and into a dead end.”

The latest round of violence saw Iran firing 181 ballistic missiles at Israeli targets, a response to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, and the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. While Israel claimed most missiles were intercepted by its air defenses, Iran insists significant damage was inflicted on Israeli infrastructure.

As the conflict escalates, Zakharova pointed to the failure of U.S. diplomacy: “This conflict didn’t arise out of nowhere. It’s been building for years under the same failed policies. What we see now is the culmination of that.”

Zakharova’s remarks come at a time when the U.S. has publicly urged Israel to de-escalate and seek a ceasefire, though Israeli military pressure continues. The number of Palestinian deaths has exceeded 41,000 according to local health authorities, leading some to accuse Israel of attempting to make Gaza uninhabitable.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov echoed these sentiments last week, warning that the Middle East is on the brink of a larger war. “The Middle East has once again found itself on the brink of a big war, which, it appears, someone is eager to see break out,” Lavrov said during a UN Security Council session. He added that without U.S. support for Israel, “the conflict could be ended quickly and effectively.”