President Vladimir Putin engaged in discussions with the leaders of Iran and Israel on Friday, marking his initial public response to the escalating tensions in the Middle East, which come amid widespread protests in Iran and threats from U.S. President Donald Trump regarding potential military action against the Islamic Republic.
Since late December, Iran has been gripped by large-scale protests sparked by rampant inflation. The Iranian government has responded with a severe crackdown on demonstrators, implementing a nationwide internet blackout and reportedly causing the deaths of at least 2,677 protesters, as reported by the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.
Recently, Trump expressed intentions to support the Iranian populace, asserting that the U.S. military was “locked and loaded” should Iran engage in violence against demonstrators. However, he subsequently tempered his rhetoric after Tehran assured him that the violence against protesters would cease.
According to the Kremlin, Putin spoke via telephone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian as part of his ongoing efforts to mitigate tensions between the U.S. and Iran.
“This is not just support for Iran but for the entire region, contributing to the stability and peace of the area,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who noted that further details of the call would be disclosed later.
In his conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Putin emphasized the need for increased political and diplomatic initiatives aimed at ensuring regional security and stability.
The Kremlin’s statement following the call indicated that Russia is prepared to continue its mediation efforts and to facilitate open dialogue among all relevant parties, although it lacked additional details.
Earlier reports from The New York Times highlighted Netanyahu’s warning to Trump against initiating military strikes on Iran.
On Thursday, Russia’s permanent representative to the UN Security Council, Vassily Nebenzia, accused the United States of “escalating tensions and inciting hysteria surrounding Iran,” dismissing the Iranian protests as yet another instance of the application of familiar “color revolution” tactics.
In recent weeks, Putin has mostly refrained from commenting on Iran and Venezuela, both of which are Russian allies, despite the pressure they face from the Trump administration, which shocked international observers earlier this month with the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
