Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to leverage Moscow’s partnership with Tehran to help break the deadlock in U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations, the Kremlin confirmed on Thursday.
The move follows a phone discussion with U.S. President Donald Trump, where both leaders agreed Iran "cannot have a nuclear weapon".
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated Russia is "ready to use this level of partnership with Tehran to facilitate negotiations," though no timeline for Putin’s direct involvement was specified.
President Trump publicly emphasized that "time is running out" for Iran to accept a nuclear deal, accusing Tehran of "slowwalking" the process. He noted Putin’s suggestion that the Russian leader could "participate in discussions" and "be helpful in getting this brought to a rapid conclusion". The offer aligns with Russia’s earlier pledge to mediate, first made in March after Trump requested assistance during a call with Putin.
The diplomatic push faces immediate hurdles. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday declared that halting uranium enrichment is "100 percent against Iran’s national interests," calling it a non-negotiable "red line". While not abandoning talks, Khamenei reiterated Tehran’s commitment to self-reliance and peaceful nuclear energy—a stance consistently dismissed by Western nations pointing to Iran’s stockpile of 60%-enriched uranium (near weapons-grade).
Negotiations remain gridlocked after five rounds of U.S.-Iran talks mediated by Oman. The latest U.S. proposal, delivered Saturday via Omani officials, demands Iran cease all domestic enrichment and export its highly enriched uranium—terms Tehran rejects as sovereignty violations. Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi acknowledged "some but not conclusive progress," with no breakthrough on enrichment.