The Kremlin on Monday expressed Russia’s readiness to do all it could to help resolve tensions between the United States and Iran around Tehran's nuclear programme.
The US is demanding that Iran commit to a nuclear deal or be bombed.
DAILY POST reports that Moscow has repeatedly offered to mediate between the two sides after warnings of military action against Iran by US President Donald Trump rattled nerves across the region.
“We are in constant consultations with our Iranian partners, including on the topic of the nuclear deal.
“This process will continue, including in the near future. And, of course, Russia is ready to make every effort, to do everything possible to contribute to this problem's resolution by political and diplomatic means,”; Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Trump, during his first term, withdrew the US from a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that placed strict limits on Tehran's disputed nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.
Iran said it needs nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and denies it is seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.
Tehran has pushed back against Trump's demands for direct talks, with a senior Iranian official issuing a warning over the weekend to neighbours that host US bases that they could be in the firing line.
According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, Trump's comments about bombing Iran only served to complicate the situation, warning that strikes could be catastrophic for the wider region.
President Vladimir Putin has moved quickly since Trump took office to repair relations with the US in a rapprochement viewed with concern by Ukraine and its European allies.
