Russia is pushing itself as a candidate to hold Iran’s enriched uranium in hypothetical peace arrangements with Israel.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov offered last week to provide “services” for the “export of excess nuclear material produced by Iran” to aid a larger “negotiation process” to de-escalate the region.
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Peskov reiterated the offer on Monday as his country seeks to play a mediating role between the Middle East states.
“This proposal remains on the table, it remains relevant,” Peskov said. “But of course, with the outbreak of hostilities, the situation has become seriously complicated.”
Peskov condemned Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, command centers, and residences of top officials, saying the campaign has “led to such a dangerous escalation of tension in the region.”
He asserted that the “international community is now split” regarding whether to punish Israel for its continued bombings, proposing there are two sides: “Those who condemned the beginning of what is happening, and those who supported and tried to justify it,” Peskov said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is walking a tightrope following the outbreak of bombings, trying to maintain friendly relations with both Israel and Iran while explicitly denouncing the attacks.
Russia has expressed opposition to Iran developing nuclear weapons but acknowledged the Islamic Republic’s right to utilize nuclear power for civilian purposes.
Putin spoke about the conflict over the weekend with President Donald Trump, with both leaders expressing a desire for an immediate end to hostilities and a willingness to act as mediators.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said that Putin “condemned Israel’s military operation against Iran and expressed serious concern about a possible escalation of the conflict” during the phone call.
“The Russian president recalled that prior to the current rise in tension, our side had proposed concrete steps intended to find mutually acceptable agreements during talks between U.S. and Iranian representatives about the Iranian nuclear program,” Ushakov said.
Taking custody of Iranian nuclear materials was among those concrete steps. Under the proposal, Russia would convert highly enriched materials into reactor fuel for civilian use.
Trump affirmed their general alignment on the Israel-Iran issue, but the White House has not publicly reacted to Russia’s repeated offers to take in uranium from Iran.
The president also took a jab at Putin’s credibility in the realm of peace discussions.
“[Putin] feels, as do I, this war in Israel-Iran should end, to which I explained, his war should also end,” Trump said following the call, referencing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In a later post, Trump affirmed that U.S. diplomats are working with international contacts to normalize the region.
GRAHAM URGES ANNIHILATION OF IRANIAN NUCLEAR PROGRAM IF DIPLOMACY FAILS: ‘NOTHING LEFT STANDING’
“We will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran! Many calls and meetings now taking place. I do a lot, and never get credit for anything, but that’s OK, the PEOPLE understand. MAKE THE MIDDLE EAST GREAT AGAIN!” he wrote.
The extent of the United States’s foreknowledge regarding the strikes is unknown. Trump claimed that his administration knew the details, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated the U.S. had no role in the operation.