Russia will help Iran with its conflict in the Middle East only if the Islamic Republic tells Moscow what help it needs, a Kremlin spokesperson said Monday.
“It all depends on what Iran needs. We have offered our mediation efforts. This is concrete. We have stated our position, which is also a very important form of support for the Iranian side,” Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, according to TASS, the country’s state-run media. “Going forward, everything will depend on what Iran needs at this moment.”
Mr. Peskov wouldn’t say concretely whether Russia would supply Iran with weapons, instead saying it’s up to Iranian leaders to ask for what they need.
He said Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet Monday with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to discuss “views in the wake of this traumatic escalation.”
They will also discuss “proposals and its vision of the current situation,” he said.
The United States conducted six rounds of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. President Trump has maintained that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, but no peace deal between the two countries was agreed to.
Israel launched airstrikes on Iran earlier this month to pressure the regime to abandon its enrichment of uranium to nuclear weapon capability levels.
Iran has fired back on Israel and locked the two countries into missile attacks on each other.
Mr. Trump announced Saturday that the U.S. had bombed three Iranian nuclear sites, including the key site at Fordo, an underground facility that only the 30,000-pound U.S. “bunker buster” bombs were able to hit. The others included Natanz and Esfahan.
In his televised address to the nation Saturday night, Mr. Trump said the strikes were “a spectacular military success.”
“Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,” the president said.
He also threatened further strikes on Iran if they do not make peace.
“Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace. If they do not, future attacks will be far greater and a lot easier,” Mr. Trump said.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.