Moscow has pledged to help Washington in dealing with Iran over the Islamic Republic's nuclear program and its support for regional anti-American proxies, Bloomberg reported on March 4, citing its undisclosed sources.
Since returning to the White House, Trump has been trying to restore relations with Russia, which were severed under the previous administration when the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
Trump voiced his interest in negotiations with Iran to Putin during a phone call in February. A few days later, the U.S. and Russian delegations discussed this issue during talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Bloomberg reported.
Moscow has long been partners with Tehran, but their cooperation only intensified after the outbreak of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022. Iran has provided Russia with thousands of Shahed drones used in attacks against Ukrainian cities, as well as short-range ballistic missiles.
With Iran's assistance, Russia has begun producing its own variants of Shahed drones called Geran-2.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier that Russia believes the U.S. and Iran should "resolve all problems through negotiations," and Moscow is "ready to do everything in its power to achieve this goal."
When asked whether Russia offered to mediate between Tehran and Washington, Esmail Baghai, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said that it was "natural" for countries to offer their assistance.
"Given the importance of these issues, it is quite possible that many parties will show goodwill and willingness to help in solving various problems," Baghai said during a televised press conference in Tehran on March 3.
"From this point of view, it is only natural that countries will offer assistance if it is needed," he added.
Since taking office, Trump has distanced the U.S. from its traditional role as Ukraine's primary supporter, instead questioning Kyiv's commitment to peace and implying that Ukraine shares the blame for the ongoing war.
Russian officials have openly praised Trump's stance, with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov calling him "the first, and so far, the only Western leader" to acknowledge what Moscow considers the true cause of the war.
Other Kremlin figures, including the deputy chair of Russia's Security Council, applauded Trump for taking a harsher tone toward President Volodymyr Zelensky, even labeling Ukraine's leader a "dictator."
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested that once the war ends, Washington and Moscow could pursue "potentially historic economic partnerships," including cooperation on Arctic development and rare earth mining.
Chris York
(Updated: )
