Russia said on Thursday that there was still room for negotiation between Iran and the United States and warned that any use of force against Tehran would have dangerous consequences and cause chaos throughout the Middle East.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was commenting a day after US President Donald Trump urged Iran to come to the table and make a deal on nuclear weapons or face a possible US attack.
“We continue to call on all parties to exercise restraint and to renounce any use of force to resolve issues. Clearly, the potential for negotiations is far from exhausted... We must focus primarily on negotiating mechanisms,” Peskov told reporters, according to Reuters.
He added, “Any forceful actions can only create chaos in the region and lead to very dangerous consequences in terms of destabilizing the security system throughout the region.”
Russia has forged closer ties with Iran since the start of its war in Ukraine and signed a 20-year strategic partnership treaty with Iran in January 2025.
Meanwhile, Russia is ready to evacuate its staff from Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant if necessary, Alexei Likhachev, the head of Russia's state nuclear corporation, was cited as saying on Thursday by the state news agency TASS.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said last year that hundreds of Russians were working at the facility, Iran's only operating nuclear power plant, which Moscow built for Iran.
More nuclear facilities are currently being built at the Bushehr site by Russia.
Russia has enhanced its relation with Tehran since the war on Ukraine.
On 17 January 2025, Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, signed the Iranian–Russian Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, a 20-year strategic partnership agreement.
A US strike on Iran's nuclear facilities in June last year did not target Bushehr. Likhachev warned at the time that an attack on the site could trigger a catastrophe comparable to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
On Thursday, Likhachev was quoted by TASS as saying: “We sincerely hope that the parties to the conflict will uphold their commitments regarding the inviolability of this territory (Bushehr).”
He also said, “But, as they say, we are keeping our finger on the pulse and, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense, we will be ready to carry out evacuation measures if necessary.”
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, and Russia says it supports Tehran's right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
