Israel uninterested in Russian mediation of conflict with Iran
Israel has so far shown no interest in peacefully settling the conflict it initiated with Iran, despite Russia's offer to mediate a dialogue between the two nations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
Commenting on the recent series of mutually devastating strikes between Israel and Iran, Peskov sounded the alarm over what he described as 'galloping escalation'.
'The situation is continuing to escalate rapidly. The level of unpredictability is absolute,' Peskov told reporters on Tuesday. He emphasized the need for both sides to exercise 'maximum restraint' in order to prevent tensions from completely spiraling out of control.
Peskov underscored that Russia stands ready to play its part in facilitating a potential diplomatic solution. 'President [Vladimir] Putin said that Russia would be ready to provide such mediation services,' Peskov told reporters on Tuesday. 'At present, we see reluctance, at least on the part of Israel, to seek any kind of mediating services or to move onto a peace track.'
After Iran-US talks on a potential new nuclear deal ended up at an impasse, Israel last week launched several waves of strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites, killing top commanders and nuclear scientists. Iran, in turn, retaliated with massive missile strikes on the Jewish state.
In another sign of escalating tensions, US President Donald Trump, a long-time ally of Israel, urged residents of Tehran to flee the city, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to hint that eliminating Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could be considered an option for ending hostilities.
Following the strikes, Putin held separate phone calls with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss options for de-escalation. Later, Trump held a phone call with Putin, which also revolved around the Middle East conflict, saying he was open to his Russian counterpart taking on a mediating role.
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