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TEHRAN \u2013 A Tuesday Bloomberg report details how the Trump administration sought Russia\u2019s assistance to engage Iran over its nuclear program and regional influence.<\/p>\n
The American outlet claims that the U.S. request, made during a February phone call between Donald Trump and Russia\u2019s Vladimir Putin, aimed to address Washington\u2019s \u201cconcerns\u201d over Iran\u2019s nuclear advancements and its support for regional allies opposing U.S. influence. Putin has allegedly agreed to take on the task.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The outreach, which included direct talks between U.S. and Russian officials, underscores Washington\u2019s struggle to reconcile its \u201cmaximum pressure\u201d campaign with a stated desire for diplomacy\u2014a contradiction long criticized by Tehran.<\/p>\n
Since reentering the White House, Trump has oscillated between threatening Iran with \u201cobliteration\u201d and expressing interest in a \u201cnuclear peace agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n
This duplicity mirrors his first-term approach, which saw the U.S. unilaterally withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) in 2018, reimpose crippling sanctions, and assassinate top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in 2020.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Iran has fortified ties with Russia, signing a 20-year strategic partnership partly to counter Western economic coercion.<\/p>\n
While the Kremlin confirmed no formal agreement, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated Russia\u2019s stance that \u201cthe U.S. and Iran should resolve all problems through negotiations,\u201d adding Moscow would \u201cdo everything in its power to achieve this.\u201d<\/p>\n
The report comes amid Trump\u2019s efforts to reset relations with Russia, despite its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, signaling the new administration\u2019s potential realignment of interests in West Asia.<\/p>\n
During a Feb. 18 meeting in Riyadh, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reportedly discussed Iran-related collaboration, though details remain undisclosed.<\/p>\n
According to Bloomberg, Lavrov later briefed Iranian officials in Tehran, where Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reaffirmed Iran\u2019s rejection of \u201cnegotiations under duress,\u201d citing Trump\u2019s erratic policies as proof of U.S. unreliability.<\/p>\n
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei echoed Iran\u2019s widespread distrust last month, partly because Trump withdrew from the nuclear agreement in 2018 and imposed unjust sanctions. \u201cThe reason? Experience,\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n
President Masoud Pezeshkian echoed this stance: \u201cIran will not be bullied into submission,\u201d asserting Iran\u2019s \u201cresistance economy\u201d and partnership with Russia as shields against U.S. pressure.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n