FMs Sergey Lavrov, Abbas Araghchi hold call day after Putin, Trump discuss escalating situation in the Middle East
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian shake hands during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on January 17, 2025. PHOTO: AFP
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a phone call with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday, reaffirmed his position in favor of a swift de-escalation of the ongoing conflict involving Tehran and its resolution through political means, the Kremlin said.
A statement said Putin and Pezeshkian continued their discussion on the situation in the Middle East, particularly with regards to US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
“The Russian president reaffirmed his principled position in favour of a swift de-escalation of the conflict and its resolution through political means. Masoud Pezeshkian thanked Russia for its support, particularly for providing humanitarian aid to Iran,” the readout said.
The call between the two presidents is the second since the start of the month, with an earlier conversation having taken place on Friday.
Regional tensions escalated after Israel and the US launched a joint attack against Iran on February 28, killing more than 1,200 victims to date, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was the supreme leader.
Refusing to surrender, Tehran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, along with Gulf countries hosting US military assets, disrupting global markets.
Lavrov calls Abbas Araghchi
Separatelu, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov exchanged views in a call on the developing situation in the Middle East with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The ministry said in a statement that the state of affairs “sharply deteriorated as a result of the unprovoked aggression of the US and Israel against Iran”.
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“Sergey Lavrov reiterated the principled position in favour of the swift de-escalation and return of the situation to the path of political-diplomatic settlement, which the Russian side is consistently ready to facilitate, with due regard for the security interests of Iran and its neighbors in the region,” it said.
The conversation took place one day after a call between Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump. Putin discussed the Iran war, as well as Ukraine, calling for a “quick political and diplomatic settlement” to the latest conflict, according to a presidential aide.
Commenting on media reports suggesting that Trump and Putin may have discussed Russia’s mediation efforts to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a briefing in Moscow that Putin, from the very beginning of the crisis, had proposed various options for Russian mediation that could help reduce tensions.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said Putin told Trump that Moscow was not sharing intelligence with Iran on the locations of US military assets.
“On the call with the president, the Russians said that they have not been sharing,” Witkoff told CNBC.
He added that Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov reiterated the message to him and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, in a call.
Witkoff acknowledged he could not independently verify the denial, saying it was “a better question for the intel people”.
He pointed to Iran’s alleged stockpile of 460 kilogrammes of 60% enriched uranium as a core concern as a justification for the military campaign.
“There is no reason to be at 60%. None. Zero reason, unless you’re pursuing a weapon,” he said, adding that Iran could have easily converted the material into a “dirty bomb”.
He described Israel’s vulnerability in stark terms, saying a single nuclear strike could be existential for that country. “Israel is a one bomb country. One bomb takes them out.”
Witkoff pushed back on reports that a planned visit to Israel had been postponed because of US concerns about Israeli strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, saying the cancellation had nothing to do with any such differences.
“I don’t really think there are many differences” with Israel, he said, adding the visit was intended for coordination purposes and would likely take place the following week.
