Russia voices readiness to help resolve Iran-US disputes amid ‘Putin’s mediation bid’
The Kremlin spokesman expressed Russia’s readiness to help Iran and the United States resolve their disputes through negotiations as American media reported that Moscow had agreed to assist US President Donald Trump’s administration in talks with Tehran over its nuclear program and its alleged support for regional anti-American resistance groups.
Dmitry Peskov told Bloomberg that “Russia believes the US and Iran should resolve all issues through negotiations” and that Moscow “is ready to do everything in its power to achieve this.”
Bloomberg’s sources also said Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to mediate talks between Trump and Tehran during a phone cal with his US counterpart on February 12.
On February 18, senior officials from the Trump administration discussed the matter with their Russian counterparts during talks in Saudi Arabia.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made a one-day visit to Tehran last week and held talks with Iranian officials over a range of issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.
When asked whether Russia had offered to mediate between Tehran and Washington, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman responded that it is normal for countries to extend such offers.
“Given the importance of these matters, it is entirely possible that many parties will show goodwill and willingness to help resolve various issues. From this perspective, it is natural for countries to offer assistance if needed,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said.
In 2015, Iran reached a nuclear deal with Britain, Germany, France, the United States, Russia and China, which is known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The US quit the agreement in 2018, during Donald Trump’s first term as US president, and Iran began moving away from its nuclear-related commitments under the deal.
The US unilateral withdrawal from the agreement and re-imposition of sanctions removed under the deal left the future of the JCPOA in limbo.
However, Iran has been trying to revive the JCPOA during the past years and have held several rounds of talks with the European parties to the deal, which their non-compliance to the agreement had a great impact on the implementation of the agreement.
There have been speculations on new negotiations between Tehran and Washington on Iran’s peaceful nuclear program in recent months, especially after Trump’s return to power in the United States in January.
However, Trump’s language of threats and imposition of sanctions against Iran have made Iranian officials skeptical of negotiations with the US.
Trump last month restored his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran which includes efforts to drive its oil exports down to zero.
Iranian officials say that negotiations under pressure are not meaningful.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said in February that talks with the US were “not smart, wise, or honorable”.
Khamenei criticized Trump’s past administration for not honoring its JCPOA promises.
“Negotiating with America is neither smart, wise, nor honorable. It will not solve any of our problems. The reason? Experience!” Ayatollah Khamenei said.