Putin Agrees to Help Trump Broker Nuclear Talks With Iran

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(Bloomberg)-Russia has agreed to assist President Donald Trump's administration in communicating with Iran on issues, including the nuclear program of the Islamic Republic and its support for regional anti-US agents, according to persons familiar with the situation.

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Trump conveyed this interest directly to President Vladimir Putin in a phone call in February and senior officials discussed his administration with their Russian counterparts in talks in Saudi Arabia a few days later, people familiar with the matter said in Moscow, and they refused to identify them because of the sensitivity of the case.

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White House officials did not immediately respond to the request for comment. Russia nor Iran publicly confirmed or rejected the request.

“Russia believes that the United States and Iran should solve all problems through negotiations” and that Moscow “is ready to do everything in its power to achieve this.”

A spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, when asked whether Russia had offered a mediation between Tehran and Washington, only “naturally” for the countries to provide their assistance.

“Given the importance of these matters, it is possible that many parties will appear in good faith and prepare to help in many problems,” said an ESMAEIL BAGHAEI spokesman, at a televised press conference on Monday in Tehran. “From this perspective, it is natural for the two countries to offer an offer to help if there is a need.” The ministry did not answer questions from Bloomberg News.

Since he took office about six weeks ago, Trump tried to restore relations with President Vladimir Putin, who was cut by the United States after Russia's full invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Since Trump is seeking to mediate at the end of this war directly with Putin – including a phone call on February 12 between the two leaders – both sides indicated that they are open to cooperation with other geopolitical interests, including trade and resources in the pole. Northern.

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Senior American and Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Marco Rubio and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, discussed Washington's interest in helping Moscow on Iranian issues, during a February 18 meeting in his head, according to people with knowledge of the situation, asking not to know all the details of those talks.

“Lavrov Russia later participated in details about the American meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Aragchi, when they met in Tehran.

Trump has sent mixed signals to Iran since its return to the White House. He said that he aims to return to the policy of “maximum pressure” during his first term, such as re -imposing sanctions and targeting its security forces, including the killing of a great general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. But Trump also said he wanted to “immediately” start working on a “nuclear peace agreement with Iran.”

Due to the presence of two states that are strongly sought by the United States, Russia and Iran, they deepen cooperation in trade and energy, as well as security, including Russia, which uses large numbers of drones in its war against Ukraine.

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But it is unclear how much they accepted Tehran for any American offer to be delivered through Russia. Several militants, who dominate strong Iranian institutions such as IRGC and the Judicial Authority, opposed publicly participating with Washington.

Last month, the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khouni, said that Trump cannot be trusted-because he withdrew from a nuclear agreement from the Obama era during his first term-and that Iran will not be intimidated in negotiations.

The President of Iran, Masoud Bezishtan, a reformist who supports the revival of the nuclear deal, said last week that he would set aside his personal belief in the need for the United States to participate and a crude opposition to the talks while Washington continues the punishment for the Iranian economy.

Despite the general position, “both the United States and Iran are trying to find communication channels, the productive channels that will start the dialogue.” Kochanov added that any understanding between the United States and Iran would be “complicated” with the United States, which provides relief sanctions and Iran's approval to contain its regional ambitions.

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The United States has long suspected the Islamic Republic of the Islamic Republic of the use of a civilian nuclear sector that is decades to protect a secret military dimension. Iran has repeatedly denied that it wanted weapons and insists on its atomic action is for peaceful means, including the power stations that Russia is partially funded.

The United Nations Nuclear Control Authority said on Monday that the United States and Iran should start talks, and that it was conducting high -level discussions with the White House on this issue. This follows his warning last week that Tehran's stock of anchors near the bomb has increased more than 50 % since Trump was elected.

Iranian officials are also under great pressure to provide economic relief to stressful residents due to a severe cost of the cost of US sanctions during the Trump administration and President Joe Biden.

Iran is also closed in the bitter shadow war with the American ally of Israel, and has pledged to continue the fighting, although Israel has weakened the main agents in Tehran Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Both groups have been appointed terrorist organizations by the United States and other countries.

– With the help of Arslan Shahla and Golanar Motville.

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