Putin offers to broker Israel, Iran deal
Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to mediate an end to Iran and Israel's nearly weeklong military clash on Thursday while addressing the interests of both countries.
'This is an extremely delicate issue that calls for extremely careful actions,' Putin told reporters Thursday. 'However, I believe that a solution can be found.'
Putin said he thinks Iran can continue its nonmilitary nuclear efforts, while ensuring Israel's security.
'We are not trying to impose anything on anyone; we are simply articulating our perspective on a potential solution,' he said.
President Trump told ABC News over the weekend that he spoke with Putin and wouldn't be against the Russian leader's involvement in brokering a resolution.
'I would be open to it. [Putin] is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it,' Trump said, according to ABC News's report.
Russia is a key ally of Iran, and the two countries signed a 'strategic partnership' pact earlier this year. Putin defended Iran's justifications for its uranium enrichment program.
'Overall, we could work with Iran, taking into account its plans to continue using and further developing nonmilitary nuclear technologies, in particular in agriculture, medicine and so on, which are not related to nuclear energy, but we could also work with it in the sphere of nuclear energy itself,' Putin said.
Meanwhile, the U.S. is a staunch ally of Israel, and Trump has held multiple meetings with top security officials to assess plans to intervene on behalf of the Jewish state. He hasn't fully outlined his plans for potential U.S. military involvement and dodged a question Wednesday about whether he's moving closer to ordering a strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.
'I may do it; I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do,' Trump told reporters at the White House. 'I can tell you this, that Iran's got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate.'
Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a call Thursday about the escalating conflict, both the Kremlin and Beijing confirmed.
'The two sides share identical approaches and firmly condemn Israel's actions in violation of the U.N. Charter and other international norms,' Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told reporters.
Mao Ning, a spokeswoman for the China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a readout of their call posted online that Xi stressed that a resolution is an 'urgent priority.'
'China stands ready to strengthen communication and coordination with all relevant parties, foster synergy, uphold justice, and play a constructive role in restoring peace in the Middle East,' she said.
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