Russian President Vladimir Putin has reiterated Moscow’s stance on resolving the ongoing conflict involving Iran, emphasizing the need for de-escalation and a political settlement.
The Kremlin press service announced on March 10 that Putin held his second phone conversation within a week with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
“President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, to continue discussing the situation in the Middle East amid armed aggression against Iran by the United States and Israel,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
According to the Kremlin, the Russian leader reaffirmed his principled position in favor of de-escalating the conflict as soon as possible and resolving it through political means.
President Pezeshkian expressed appreciation for Russia’s support, particularly humanitarian assistance provided to Iran.
On the same day, Steve Witkoff, special envoy of U.S. President Donald Trump, said Russia had denied sharing intelligence with Iran about U.S. military facilities in the Middle East.
“Yesterday, during a call with the president, the Russian side said they were not sharing information,” Witkoff said when asked whether Washington believed Moscow had provided Tehran with intelligence on the locations of U.S. military assets.
According to Witkoff, Russia’s denial came during a phone call between Trump and Putin on March 9, as well as during a separate discussion earlier the same day involving the U.S. envoy, businessman Jared Kushner, and Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov.
“We can take them at their word. That’s what they said. Yesterday morning Jared and I also had a call with Mr. Ushakov, and he repeated the same thing… Let’s hope they are not sharing information,” the U.S. envoy added.
Earlier, some reports suggested that Moscow might have been providing Tehran with intelligence, including the locations and movements of U.S. warships and aircraft operating in the region.
On March 9, Putin also held a phone call with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump. It was the first conversation between the two leaders since the United States and Israel launched an air campaign against Iran on February 28.
According to Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, Putin presented several proposals during the call aimed at quickly resolving the conflict involving Iran.
Ushakov said the Russian president put forward a number of ideas to end the crisis through political and diplomatic channels, including contacts with leaders of Gulf countries, Iran’s president, and other international partners.
The United States and Israel launched a military campaign against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including the capital Tehran, were targeted in the strikes. The White House said the attacks were intended to eliminate missile and nuclear threats posed by Iran.
In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation targeting sites in Israel. U.S. military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were also attacked.
