Iran \u201cwon\u2019t be alone\u201d if the United States decides to launch a military strike on the Islamic republic, a senior Russian diplomat said on Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n U.S. President Donald Trump targeted Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top Iranian officials with sanctions on Monday. The dramatic step to increase pressure on Iran follows Tehran\u2019s downing of an unmanned American drone last week, which Russia said had violated Iranian airspace. On Tuesday, Trump threatened to obliterate parts of Iran if it attacked “anything American,” but later left the door open for talks.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIran will withstand this type of fight and Iran is not alone,\u201d Zamir Kabulov, the Foreign Ministry\u2019s special envoy for Asian countries including Iran, said<\/a><\/strong><\/span> at a Russian-Iranian policy forum in Moscow.<\/span><\/p>\n When asked if Russia was ready to provide material support to Iran if the U.S. attacks it, Kabulov said that \u201cspecific actions are a question for the Russian president.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019s not just Russia, many other countries sympathize and empathize with Iran,\u201d the\u00a0Kommersant business daily\u00a0quoted<\/a><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0him as saying. \u201cTehran won\u2019t be alone if the U.S., God forbid, takes wild and irresponsible actions against it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said separately that Moscow will try to persuade the U.S. and Iran to start “civilized” dialogue.<\/span><\/p>\n “This, of course, assumes the end to the [American] policy of ultimatums, sanctions and blackmail,” Lavrov told another briefing later on Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n Earlier this week, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said<\/a><\/strong><\/span> that Russia and its partners will take steps to counter new sanctions that Washington imposes on Iran, but did not specify what those steps would be.<\/span><\/p>\n