Eurasia Press & News
Latest Developments
‘U.S. and Iran Should Solve All Problems Through Negotiations’: A top spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime confirmed on March 4 that Moscow was willing to mediate between the United States and Iran over the ongoing Iranian nuclear program. “Russia believes that the United States and Iran should resolve all problems through negotiations,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Bloomberg News, adding that his country “is ready to do everything in its power to achieve this.” Officials at the White House did not offer immediate comment. However, according to Bloomberg, Trump expressed interest in a Russian mediating role during a phone call with Putin last month.
Iran Cautiously Welcomes Russian Offer: Iran tentatively welcomed the development. “Given the significance of these matters, it’s possible that many parties will show good will and readiness to help with various problems,” Esmaeil Baghaei, a spokesman for the Islamic Republic, said during a televised press conference in Tehran on March 3. “From this perspective, it’s natural that countries will present an offer of help if it’s needed.” On February 7, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed skepticism regarding talks with the Trump administration, declaring, “Negotiating with such a government should not be done; it is neither wise, intelligent nor honorable.” Since returning to office in January, Trump has restored his campaign of “maximum pressure” against Iran but has also expressed the desire to shutter Tehran’s nuclear program through negotiations.
Russian Military Experts Visited Iran Amid Attacks on Israel: News of the Russian offer coincided with revelations that Russian missile experts had traveled to Iran on at least two occasions last year, with the first visit in April occurring 10 days before Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel and the second, in September, taking place two weeks before Iran unleashed a further volley of missiles against the Jewish state. According to Reuters, two of the seven Russian experts are specialists in air defense missile systems, three are specialists in artillery and rocketry, one is a specialist in advanced weapons development, and the other previously worked at a missile testing range. FDD Expert Response
“Russia ‘mediated’ a few years back when the stated U.S. goal was to compel Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad to surrender his stock of chemical weapons, which he continued using for the purpose of killing men, women, and children. Let’s hope a lesson was learned from that fiasco.” — Clifford D. May, Founder & President
“We’ve been here before. In 2015, President Obama turned to Russia for assistance in crafting the fatally flawed nuclear deal that Trump exited three years later. Extreme caution is warranted.” — Mark Dubowitz, CEO
“The arrival of Russian missile specialists in Iran is the latest indication of deepening Russo-Iranian military ties and proof positive that security threats do not remain confined to the continent they originate from. Worryingly, the Russian team’s reported arrival — once following, and later in the lead-up to, Iran’s two direct ballistic missile barrages against Israel — raises significant consequences for the Jewish state. While the precise activities the team engaged in are unknown, Russia has played a key role in bolstering Iran’s missile and military programs in the past. Accordingly, the trip should set off blaring red lights for those who had hoped that a change in Western policy would lead to a disconnecting of the dots between members of the axis of aggressors.”— Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow
