Khaberni - Russian President, Vladimir Putin, renewed his country's offer of mediation to «facilitate a political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict concerning Iran» amid escalating fears of renewed fighting after the U.S.-Iran negotiation rounds in Islamabad failed.
During a phone call on Sunday with his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, Putin confirmed that his country is ready to continue efforts to find a settlement that guarantees the interests of all parties.
A statement issued by the Kremlin following the phone call said that Putin reaffirmed «his readiness to continue facilitating the search for a political and diplomatic settlement to the conflict, and participate in mediation efforts to establish a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.» The statement emphasized that «to this end; Russia continues its active contacts with all partners in the region.»
Moscow had offered mediation early on, before the outbreak of the war. It warned of the risks of an escalating conflict and «the Middle East igniting» due to the ongoing confrontation. However, Russia's offer was completely ignored by Israel, while the United States showed no enthusiasm towards it.
U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the Russian mediation proposal saying that «Putin should consider mechanisms to end the conflict in Ukraine before offering to mediate another.»
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Washington accused the Russians of providing intelligence information that helped the Iranians target sites and military capabilities of the United States, a claim denied by Moscow earlier.
Nevertheless, Moscow appears to have renewed its offer against the backdrop of stalemated U.S.-Iran negotiations in Islamabad. The Kremlin's press office also reported that the Iranian president assessed the negotiations held in Islamabad on Saturday during the phone call with Putin.
Pezeshkian expressed gratitude for «Russia's principled stance, including on international platforms, aimed at calming the situation.» He also thanked Russia for «the humanitarian aid it has provided to the Iranian people.»
A statement from the Iranian presidency reported that Pezeshkian briefed Putin on the details of Iran's negotiations with the United States mediated by Pakistan. The statement quoted Pezeshkian saying that the biggest obstacle to reaching a fair agreement lies in what he described as «unilateralism» and «double standards» of the United States. He added that Iran was fully prepared to reach an agreement «that is balanced and fair» securing sustained peace and security in the region, adding that his country's «red line» involves its national interests and the rights of its people. He mentioned that reaching an agreement «is not out of reach» if the U.S. adheres to international legal frameworks.
The Kremlin did not specify whether it had new mediation ideas, but it is known that Russia had previously proposed ensuring the transfer of Iran's enriched fuel stockpile to its territory, along with a mechanism to ensure that Iran does not use its missile capabilities to threaten neighboring countries and Israel.
The Kremlin believes that the Russian role will again be required in this context when searching for any political settlement of the conflict, especially due to Russia's accumulated experience in this regard; Moscow had contributed similar guarantees regarding Iran's nuclear capabilities in the agreed deal of 2015.
Although Moscow confirmed it continues to work on implementing the «Strategic Partnership Agreement» signed with Tehran, it also emphasized continuing to coordinate positions with the Arab Gulf countries. It affirmed that possessing active communication channels with all parties constitutes a supportive element enhancing its ability to make mediation efforts that guarantee the interests of all parties in the region.
