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The Kremlin could help facilitate negotiations between Iran and the US over Tehran’s nuclear program and its network of proxy groups across the Middle East, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.
Russia first raised the idea with US officials, a person familiar with the matter told Semafor. US President Donald Trump reportedly mentioned the idea indirectly in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month; senior officials from both countries also discussed the matter at Feb. 18 talks in Saudi Arabia, according to the report.
Russia and Iran have not confirmed or denied the request, but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Bloomberg that Moscow “is ready to do everything in its power” to achieve a diplomatic resolution.
“The United States will not tolerate Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon or their support of terror in the Middle East and around the world, US National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said. “The Trump administration will talk to our adversaries and allies alike, but [it] will always do so from a position of strength to defend our national security.”
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Iran has been rapidly expanding its production of highly-enriched uranium, and officials there are starting to speak increasingly openly about the possibility of pursuing nuclear weapons.
The United Nation’s nuclear watchdog on Monday urged Iran and the US to start nuclear talks, and said it was in communication with the Trump administration.