Sanchez Effect | Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman

In the latest episode of Sanchez Effect, we sit down with Maria Zakharova, the voice of the Russian Foreign Ministry. She says when the U.S. claims it needed to attack Iran because it was enriching uranium close to bomb-making levels, that is simply untrue. Moscow has been closely monitoring Iran's peaceful nuclear programme through the IAEA. This organisation and its experts, regularly inspected all nuclear sites and submitted reports. At no point did they indicate that Iran violated any agreements.

Ms. Zakharova also takes aim at Mike Pompeo's comments urging Iran to align with the West. She challenges the idea of ‘normality’ and ‘decency’ as defined by the American official, highlighting a history of Western hypocrisy— think Iraq, Gadhafi, and Yugoslavia. Are these really the folks who get to set the standard for what’s normal? And now they want to dictate terms to Iran? Is this the new status quo?

She draws parallels between the Minsk talks, which masked plans to militarise Ukraine, and the negotiations with Tehran. She says Moscow wants to trust the U.S., but it is actions that Russia will believe, not words.

We also welcome a guest from Saudi Arabia as more countries are pulled into the chaos. With attacks hitting certain sites in the Kingdom, will it step into the fray? Faisal University professor Khaled Batarfi says a resounding NO, emphasising that the state seeks to maintain neutrality - for now. But who would benefit from dragging Saudi Arabia into this mess? And how are Shia communities across the region affected by these developments? We unpack all this and more in our latest episode—only on RT!