Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to assist President Donald Trump’s administration in facilitating discussions with Iran regarding the country’s nuclear ambitions and its backing of groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, according to sources familiar with the matter. Trump expressed his interest in these talks during a February phone call with Putin, and U.S. officials later discussed the issue in Saudi Arabia, as reported by Bloomberg on Tuesday. Sources who spoke anonymously did so due to the sensitive nature of the topic.
Neither Russia nor Iran has publicly acknowledged or denied the request, and the White House did not immediately respond to Bloomberg’s inquiry for comment. However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Bloomberg that “Russia believes that the United States and Iran should resolve all problems through negotiations.” He also stated that Moscow “is ready to do everything in its power to achieve this.”
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, remarked that it is “natural” for countries to offer help given the importance of the matters at hand. “It’s possible that many parties will show good will and readiness to help with various problems,” he said during a Monday press conference in Tehran. “From this perspective, it’s natural that countries will present an offer of help if it’s needed.”
During a meeting on February 18 in Riyadh, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and other senior officials reportedly discussed Washington’s interest in Moscow facilitating talks with Iran. Lavrov later briefed Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who shared the details during a press conference in Tehran.
Trump has sent conflicting signals about Iran since returning to the White House. He has expressed a desire to revive the “maximum pressure” policy from his first term but also emphasized the urgency of working towards a “verified nuclear peace agreement with Iran” immediately.
Both Russia and Iran face heavy sanctions from the United States, which has driven them to cooperate in various areas, such as Russia’s use of Iranian-made drones in its attacks against Ukraine. However, Iranian hardliners, who dominate the military and judiciary, are publicly opposed to any engagement with the U.S. and may resist any attempts at reconciliation, even if Russia is the intermediary.
Furthermore, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stated in February that Trump cannot be trusted, citing his withdrawal from the Obama-era nuclear agreement during his first term, and insisted that Iran will not be pressured into negotiations. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed support for reviving the nuclear deal but aligned with Khamenei in opposing talks while U.S. sanctions remain in place.
Nikolay Kozhanov, an associate professor at Qatar University’s Gulf Studies Center, commented that while both Iran and the U.S. are seeking effective communication channels, a mutual understanding would be “complex,” with the U.S. offering sanction relief in exchange for Iran curbing its regional ambitions.
{Matzav.com}