


Russia has long offered the West to mediate with Iran over its nuclear program. After earlier this month batting down reports claiming that Moscow is on board with the Trump demand of zero enrichment (the Kremlin rejected that this is its stance), President Vladimir Putin is once again vying to play chief diplomat in the Middle East, a region where Russia's military has been somewhat on the retreat in the wake of Bashar al-Assad's ouster from Damascus.
In a Monday telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Putin emphasized Moscow’s willingness to engage in efforts to seek a negotiated resolution to the Iranian nuclear issue - which has been source of threats and counter-threats between Tehran and Tel Aviv.
A Kremlin readout stated, "In light of the recent escalation in the Iranian-Israeli confrontation, Russia has expressed its readiness to assist in every possible way to facilitate a diplomatic solution concerning Iran’s nuclear program."
This month, Putin has been having meetings with Ali Larijani, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, to discuss Iran’s nuclear program as well as the recent 12-day conflict with Israel.