Putin Emphasizes Regional De-escalation to Iranian President Pezeshkian

JAKARTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin in a telephone conversation with Iranian President MasoudPezeshkian reiterated his position in favor of a rapid de-escalation of the conflict involving Tehran as well as its resolution through political channels.

In its statement, the Kremlin said Putin and Pezeshkian continued discussions on the situation in the Middle East, particularly regarding the attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran.

"The Russian president reiterated his principled position to support the rapid de-escalation of the conflict and its resolution through political means. Masoud Pezeshkian thanked Russia for its support, especially for the humanitarian assistance provided to Iran," the Kremlin statement read, quoted by ANTARA from Anadolu, Wednesday, March 12.

The conversation between the two presidents was the second since the beginning of the month, after the previous conversation was held last Friday.

Escalation in the region increased after Israel and the United States launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28, which has so far killed more than 1,200 people, including Ali Khamenei, who was then the supreme leader of Iran.

Refusing to surrender, Tehran then retaliated with a missile attack targeting Israel as well as Gulf countries hosting US military assets. This resulted in the disruption of the global market.

Putin also spoke with US President Donald Trump on Monday (9/3) to discuss the Iran war as well as the situation in Ukraine. Putin called for "a quick political and diplomatic settlement of the latest conflict," according to a Russian presidential aide.