Russia offers to mediate between the US and Iran

Moscow (ANTARA) — Russian Permanent Representative to international organisations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, said that Russia is ready to act as a mediator in peace talks between Iran and the United States if needed. ‘Of course, if needed, Russia is ready to provide mediation services,’ Ulyanov told the Russian newspaper Izvestia, as reported by Xinhua. Nevertheless, the diplomat assessed that a renewal of US–Iran dialogue appears impossible at present, but it is important to keep striving for it. According to Ulyanov, the core aims of both sides—the United States’ aim to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and Tehran’s demand for the lifting of sanctions—will not be achieved through military confrontation. Ulyanov is confident that Iran would welcome Russia’s mediation. However, he added, the US has stated that it does not require a mediator because it believes it can handle the issue itself. ‘In fact, America is handling this issue very badly,’ Ulyanov said.