Russia Beefs up Forces in Eastern Mediterranean

NATO monitors all activity in the Mediterranean from planes like the glass-nosed Atlantique 2 on Crete's base of Souda. (AFP)
NATO monitors all activity in the Mediterranean from planes like the glass-nosed Atlantique 2 on Crete's base of Souda. (AFP)
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Russia Beefs up Forces in Eastern Mediterranean

NATO monitors all activity in the Mediterranean from planes like the glass-nosed Atlantique 2 on Crete's base of Souda. (AFP)
NATO monitors all activity in the Mediterranean from planes like the glass-nosed Atlantique 2 on Crete's base of Souda. (AFP)

Russia had reinforced its military capacity in the Mediterranean before invading Ukraine on February 24, military observers said.

Thibault Lavernhe, regional communication officer of the French army in the Mediterranean, said Russia has doubled, if not tripled, its military capacity in the area in terms of destroyers, frigates and submarines.

The Russian presence in the Mediterranean could be used to send military reinforcements and arms to the area, and also fire cruise missiles from warships to support military operations.

Lavernhe revealed that US forces, which had decreased their presence in the area in the past 10 years, are also working to change tactics in the Mediterranean.

"Ukraine has changed things. The Americans are back. This hasn't been the case since the Cold War," the officer said, adding that where there are American forces, the Russians are there too.

The Mediterranean is of strategic importance to the world economy, with 65 percent of EU energy supplies and 30 percent of global commerce, according to the French foreign ministry, passing through the sea with shores in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

There are currently around 20 Russian warships in the sea, Lavernhe told AFP.

The buildup came in the wake of the war in Syria when Moscow began deploying warships in the port of Tartus, the Russian navy's sole repair and re-fueling base in the Mediterranean.

What is new now, Lavernhe said, is that Russian naval forces are now spreading westward - north of Crete, west of Greece in the Peloponnese, and in the northern Aegean Sea, near the Black Sea.

“Russian ships are positioned to monitor the activity of allied forces,” he stressed.

Meanwhile, NATO monitors all activity in the Mediterranean from planes like the glass-nosed Atlantique 2 on Crete's base of Souda.

The long-range patrol aircraft made by France's Dassault is equipped with radar, a 3,200-millimeter camera and systems capable of detecting magnetic fields and picking up nearby radar signals.

The plane's tactical coordinator, Laurent, explains that the aircraft will pick up all vessels encountered during its flight and determine their national affiliation.

"All vessels of over 12 meters must be registered and have an active tracking beacon," he says, discreetly closing a folder with the image of a Russian landing craft on one of the pages.

"If that is not the case, we hail them to establish whether they are smugglers or (other kinds of) illegal activity," he adds.

This information is then shared with the French general staff and NATO command.

Lieutenant Johann, the aircraft's chief officer, who asked that his surname not be used, said that the plane's range enables it to fly as far as the Black Sea, but that could potentially antagonize the Russians.

"We are not in a crisis situation in this area. The objective is simply to safeguard European security," he said.



Iran’s President Says Tehran Open to Dialogue with US, Accuses Israel of Assassination Attempt

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a meeting in Ilam, Iran, June 12, 2025. Iran's Presidential website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuter
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a meeting in Ilam, Iran, June 12, 2025. Iran's Presidential website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuter
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Iran’s President Says Tehran Open to Dialogue with US, Accuses Israel of Assassination Attempt

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a meeting in Ilam, Iran, June 12, 2025. Iran's Presidential website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuter
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a meeting in Ilam, Iran, June 12, 2025. Iran's Presidential website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuter

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he believes Iran can resolve its differences with the United States through dialogue, but trust would be an issue after US and Israeli attacks on his country, according to an interview released on Monday.

"I am of the belief that we could very much easily resolve our differences and conflicts with the United States through dialogue and talks," Pezeshkian told conservative US podcaster Tucker Carlson in an interview conducted on Saturday.

The Iranian leader urged US President Donald Trump not to be drawn into war with Iran by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is visiting Washington on Monday for talks at the White House.

"The United States' president, Mr. Trump, he is capable enough to guide the region towards the peace and a brighter future and put Israel in its place. Or get into a pit, an endless pit, or a swamp," Pezeshkian said. "So it is up to the United States president to choose which path."

White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said she was not sure if Trump had seen the Iranian president's comments, but agreed he was the right man to move the region towards peace.

Pezeshkian blamed Israel, Iran's arch-enemy, for the collapse of talks that were in place when Israel began its strikes on Iran on June 13, starting a 12-day air war with Israel in which top Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists were killed.

"How are we going to trust the United States again?" Pezeshkian said. "How can we know for sure that in the middle of the talks the Israeli regime will not be given the permission again to attack us?"

Pezeshkian also said that Israel tried to assassinate him.

"They did try, yes," he said. "They acted accordingly, but they failed."

Israel did not immediately respond to the allegation. A senior Israeli military official said last month that Israel killed more than 30 senior security officials and 11 senior nuclear scientists in its attack on to Iran's nuclear sites.

Trump said he expected to discuss Iran and its nuclear ambitions with Netanyahu, praising the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites as a tremendous success. On Friday, he told reporters that he believed Tehran's nuclear program had been set back permanently, although Iran could restart efforts elsewhere.

Iran has always denied seeking a nuclear weapon.