Putin offers Moscow as mediator in Iran crisis amid tensions with Israel, Trump threat

President Vladimir Putin is mediating in the Iran situation ‍to try to quickly de-escalate tensions, the Kremlin said on Friday, after the Russian leader spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.Moscow, an ally of Tehran, has condemned US President Donald Trump’s threats of new military strikes after Iran cracked down on protests that broke out late last month.Israel and the US last ⁠year both bombed Iranian nuclear sites, and Iran fought a 12-day war with Israel. Russia has pursued closer ties with Iran since the start of its war in Ukraine, and Putin last year signed a 20-year strategic partnership pact with Pezeshkian. Moscow also has a long-established working relationship with Israel.Putin in his call with Netanyahu expressed Russia’s willingness to “continue its mediation efforts and to promote constructive dialogue with the participation of all interested states,” the Kremlin said, adding ‍he had set out his ideas for boosting stability in the Middle East.No further details were given on Putin’s mediation attempt.Putin had then been ‍briefed by Pezeshkian in a separate call on what the Kremlin called Tehran’s “sustained efforts” to normalise the situation inside Iran.“It was noted that Russia and Iran unanimously and consistently support de-escalating the tensions – both surrounding Iran and in the region ‌as a whole – as soon as possible and resolving any emerging issues through exclusively political and diplomatic means,” the Kremlin said.