Putin reaffirms regional de-escalation stance to Iranian President Pezeshkian

Istanbul — Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed his principled position supporting rapid de-escalation of the conflict involving Teheran and its resolution through political channels during a telephone conversation with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday, 10 March.

In a statement, the Kremlin said Putin and Pezeshkian continued discussions regarding the situation in the Middle East, particularly concerning attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran.

“The Russian President reaffirmed his principled position supporting rapid de-escalation of the conflict and its resolution through political means. Masoud Pezeshkian thanked Russia for its support, particularly for humanitarian assistance provided to Iran,” the Kremlin statement read.

The conversation between the two presidents was the second since the beginning of the month, following a previous discussion held last Friday.

Regional escalation intensified after Israel and the United States launched a combined assault on Iran on 28 February, which has to date killed more than 1,200 people, including Ali Khamenei, who was then serving as Iran’s supreme leader.

Refusing to back down, Teheran responded with drone and missile attacks targeting Israel and Gulf states housing American military assets. This resulted in disruption to global markets.

Putin also spoke with US President Donald Trump on Monday, 9 March, to discuss the Iran war as well as the situation in Ukraine. Putin called for “rapid political and diplomatic resolution of the latest conflict,” according to a Russian presidential aide.