China and Russia positioning themselves as voices of reason, calling for de-escalation of a conflict the United States is contemplating on entering — these are the optics Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin sought to project during a phone call on Thursday.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul offered warnings on Saturday of how U.S. strikes on Iran could influence U.S. adversaries around the world. In an interview on MSNBC, McFaul said

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping 'strongly condemned' Israeli strikes on Iran in a phone call, a Kremlin aide said on Thursday. This comes as tensions in the Middle East soared further on Thursday as Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz made a direct threat towards Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following a fresh wave of missile attacks.