Kremlin Says Iran's Nuclear Program Will Be The Principle Of Discussion On Next Russia-United States Talks

JAKARTA - The Kremlin said on Wednesday that future talks between Russia and the United States would include discussions on Iran's nuclear program, the subject of the discussion it said had been "discussed" in the early rounds of talks between the two countries last month.

Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Russia had agreed to assist the administration of US President Donald Trump in communicating with Iran on various issues, including Tehran's nuclear program and its support for anti-US proxies in the region.

The Kremlin has not confirmed this, but has explained that Iran is now one of the subject points of discussion that Washington and Moscow will discuss in more detail.

"So far there is only an understanding that Russia's real position is that the issue of Iran's nuclear files must be resolved exclusively through peaceful political and diplomatic means," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"We believe there is potential for this, because Iran is our ally, our partner, and the country we are with is developing a comprehensive, mutually beneficial, and respectful relationship, and Russia is ready to do everything possible for this. The United States is aware of this," he continued.

Last month, President Trump restored his "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran, including efforts to suppress its oil exports to zero to stop Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran denies this intention.

Russia is known to have deepened its ties with Iran since the start of the Ukraine war, signing a strategic cooperation agreement with Iran in January.

The Kremlin said Iranian subjects were mentioned during talks between Russia-US in Saudi Arabia last month.

"That was mentioned in Riyadh," Peskov said.

"But not in detail, not in detail," he said.

When asked specifically about the Bloomberg report, Peskov said: "Look, Iranian topics are on the agenda, they are alluded to, but at the same time, not in detail."