Washington/Moscow, March 6 — Russia has expressed willingness to mediate between the United States and Iran in potential renewed nuclear talks, as Washington and Moscow navigate an unofficial thaw in relations, Bloomberg reported.
According to the report, former US President Donald Trump asked Russian President Vladimir Putin during a February 12 phone call to help facilitate discussions with Iran on its nuclear program and ‘regional security matters.’
The topic resurfaced on February 18 when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met in Saudi Arabia for direct talks on the war in Ukraine.
Lavrov later visited Iran and reportedly briefed Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the possible negotiations.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that “the United States and Iran should resolve all problems through negotiations,” adding that Moscow “is ready to do everything in its power to achieve this.”
If successful, the Russian-mediated initiative would mark a major shift seven years after Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal during his first term.
While Trump has maintained his “maximum pressure” approach on Tehran, he has also indicated openness to fresh negotiations.
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has so far rejected talks with the United States.