Photo: Depositphotos
Russia declares readiness to prevent escalation in the Middle East by diplomatic means
Moscow, 7 April, Reuters reports – The Kremlin on Monday said it was ready to mediate in resolving growing tensions between the United States and Iran over disagreements over Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Against the backdrop of harsh rhetoric from Washington, which is demanding that Tehran conclude a new nuclear deal under the threat of air strikes, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that Russia is “ready to make every effort, to do everything possible” to resolve the situation exclusively through political and diplomatic means.
“We are in constant consultations with our Iranian partners, in particular on the nuclear deal,” Peskov told reporters. “This process will continue, including in the near future.”
After US President Donald Trump withdrew his country from the 2015 nuclear deal signed between Iran and world powers, tensions in the region have risen. Under the deal, Iran agreed to severe restrictions on its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. Tehran insists that its programme is exclusively peaceful and denies any intention to develop nuclear weapons.
Iran opposes Washington’s demands for direct talks. The day before, a senior Tehran official warned neighbouring countries with US military bases that in the event of an escalation, they could be in the target zone.
Last week, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Trump’s statements about a possible bombing of Iran only “complicated the situation” and warned of “catastrophic” consequences for the region in the event of an attack.
Despite this, Moscow has generally refrained from harshly criticising Trump. Since coming to power, President Vladimir Putin has taken a number of steps to restore relations with Washington, a policy that has caused concern in Ukraine and among the US’s European allies.
At the same time, Russia is actively deepening its ties with Iran: after the start of a full-scale war against Ukraine, Moscow and Tehran signed a strategic partnership agreement in January.
