Russia says it is in constant contact with Iran's leaders

MOSCOW, March 2: The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia was in constant contact with the Iranian leadership about what it called the “outright aggression” against Tehran and was deeply disappointed by how events had unfolded.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday condemned the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a “cynical” murder and the Russian Foreign Ministry has accused the U.S. and Israel of plunging the Middle East “into an abyss of uncontrolled escalation.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russia was analysing the situation and drawing its own conclusions after Washington opted to launch strikes at Iran despite what Moscow thought had looked like promising talks.

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“As for the negotiations mediated by Oman between the United States and Iran, we can certainly express our deep disappointment that, despite reports of significant progress in these negotiations, the situation has nevertheless deteriorated into outright aggression,” Peskov told reporters.

He said that Putin was due to make an Iran-related international phone call later on Monday, but did not disclose to whom.

“I can only say that we are in constant contact with the Iranian leadership and are discussing the situation surrounding that country. At the same time, we are continuing our dialogue with the leadership of the countries affected by the conflict, including the Persian Gulf states,” said Peskov.