Netanyahu, Putin Discuss Iran Amid Rising Regional Tensions Over Nuclear Talks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin held discussions on Iran, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed on Tuesday.

Taking to X, the official handle of the Prime Minister of Israel posted, “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The conversation between the two leaders was on the issue of Iran.”

According to The Times of Israel, the phone call also covered wider developments in West Asia East, with a focus on Iran’s nuclear program and the recent sectarian violence in Syria.

During the call, Putin “emphasized the importance of supporting the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Syria, as per a Kremlin statement cited by The Times of Israel. The discussion came after Israeli airstrikes earlier this month targeted Syrian military sites in Sweida and Damascus, following sectarian unrest in the Druze-majority city.

Clashes in Sweida province, which began on July 13 and lasted for a week, initially involved Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes. According to witnesses, experts, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the violence escalated when Syrian government forces intervened on behalf of the Bedouin. The war monitor reported that more than 1,400 people, mostly Druze, were killed, and over 250 Druze civilians were summarily executed by government personnel.

Putin also reiterated that “political stability in the country must be achieved through respect for all ethnic and religious groups’ interests,” The Times of Israel noted. Despite its war in Ukraine, Russia maintains military presence in Syria and continues to support Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which fell in December, prompting Assad’s relocation to Moscow.

According to The Times of Israel, the Russian President also offered to mediate renewed talks on Iran’s nuclear program, which had stalled following Israel’s surprise strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities last month, triggering a 12-day war. Moscow had previously played a key role in removing enriched uranium from Iran during the 2015 nuclear deal under the Obama administration.

While Russia is a close ally of Iran–having deepened military cooperation amid the Ukraine war–it has also maintained diplomatic ties with Israel, home to a significant Russian-born population. As such, The Times of Israel reported that Moscow refrained from supporting Tehran during recent Israeli and US strikes on Iranian sites.

There was no immediate readout of the call from Netanyahu’s office.

Earlier this month, Kan public broadcaster reported that Israel had initiated quiet diplomatic engagement with Russia to reduce tensions involving both Iran and Syria. The Times of Israel added that in June, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov indicated Moscow’s willingness to help narrow US-Iranian differences by converting Iran’s enriched uranium into civilian reactor fuel.

It remains unclear whether Moscow will reprise its previous role in Iran’s nuclear file at this juncture. (ANI)