St Petersburg [Russia], June 20: Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he is in touch with US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the Israel-Iran conflict. He said Russia is prepared to support Tehran's peaceful nuclear development while addressing Tel Aviv's security concerns and that a deal to end fighting between Israel and Iran is possible.
Also, Putin has confirmed Russia's readiness to mediate a dialogue between Iran and Israel in a phone call with President of the United Arab Emirates Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Kremlin said as per state media TASS.
"Vladimir Putin confirmed Russia's readiness to provide mediation assistance in promoting dialogue between the parties to the conflict, informing about contacts with a number of foreign leaders in this regard," the Kremlin statement read.
Meanwhile, during a meeting with the heads of leading global news agencies in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, Putin said that Russia has engaged in detailed discussions on this issue with both Israeli and US officials, and has communicated proposals to its Iranian counterparts.
"In general, it is possible to meet Iran's interests in peaceful nuclear energy and at the same time address Israel's concerns about its national security," he said on the sidelines of the SPIEF 2025 an economic conference in St. Petersburg,
Putin also recalled Russia's involvement in Iran's civilian nuclear program, including the completion of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Iran, which was originally designed by German firms and later completed by Russia's state nuclear corporation, Rosatom.
"We are in constant contact with our Iranian partners. Our specialists are working in Bushehr, and we are not leaving. Isn't that support? Iran has not asked us for any other support, and I repeat, we have given our assessments." Putin said as reported by TASS.
"I've already said that: our specialists are working in Bushehr. Their total number may reach 600 [people]. We are not leaving," Putin said at a meeting with heads of the world's leading news agencies, organized by TASS.
The Russian state media report further cited Putin as saying, "It seems to me that it would be right for everyone to look for ways to stop the hostilities and find ways for all parties to this conflict to reach an agreement with each other in order to ensure both the interests of Iran, on the one hand, in its nuclear activity, including peaceful nuclear activity, of course. I mean both peaceful nuclear energy and peaceful nuclear energy in other areas. And to ensure the interests of Israel from the point of view of the unconditional security of the Jewish state."
Putin further pointed out that Israel's strikes against Iran had led to a consolidation of Iranian society around the country's leadership.
Today, society in Iran, "despite all the complexity of the ongoing domestic political processes," is uniting around the country's leadership: "This is almost always the case everywhere, and Iran is no exception," the Russian President Putin said.
During his press conference on Wednesday, when asked what Moscow would do in the event of a targeted assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, Putin refused to even entertain the premise, calling it a "scenario I won't even discuss." Russian media outlet RT reported.
In an address to the nation, Khamenei rejected President Trump's call for surrender in the conflict with Israel, and warned any US strikes on Iran will have "irreparable consequences."
"Intelligent people who know Iran, the nation and the history of Iran, will never speak to this nation in the language of threats, because the Iranian nation cannot be surrendered," Ayatollah Khamenei said in a televised address as reported by New York Times."The Americans should know that any US military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage," the Iranian leader said.
On Wednesday, US President Trump said that he held a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart on June 17, during which the sides discussed the Ukrainian and Iranian crises, including Russia's proposal to mediate a dialogue with Tehran.
"I said, 'Do me a favour, mediate your own,'" Trump said he told Putin. "I said, 'Vladimir, let's mediate Russia first. You can worry about this later," Trump told reporters at the White House, according to several US media outlets.
Tensions between Israel and Iran escalated on June 13 when Israel launched Operation "Rising Lion," targeting Iran's nuclear infrastructure. Iran responded with retaliatory strikes.
Source: Times of Oman
