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Russia: There Is Still Room for Negotiations between US and Iran

 Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in August 2025 (AFP) 
 Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in August 2025 (AFP) 
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Russia: There Is Still Room for Negotiations between US and Iran

 Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in August 2025 (AFP) 
 Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in August 2025 (AFP) 

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.

 

 

 

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US Braces for Potential Iranian Retaliatory Operations within its Borders

US President Donald Trump speaks with the media as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (R) and special envoy Steve Witkoff (C) look on aboard Air Force One during a flight from Dover, Delaware, to Miami, Florida, on March 7, 2026. (AFP)
US President Donald Trump speaks with the media as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (R) and special envoy Steve Witkoff (C) look on aboard Air Force One during a flight from Dover, Delaware, to Miami, Florida, on March 7, 2026. (AFP)
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US Braces for Potential Iranian Retaliatory Operations within its Borders

US President Donald Trump speaks with the media as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (R) and special envoy Steve Witkoff (C) look on aboard Air Force One during a flight from Dover, Delaware, to Miami, Florida, on March 7, 2026. (AFP)
US President Donald Trump speaks with the media as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (R) and special envoy Steve Witkoff (C) look on aboard Air Force One during a flight from Dover, Delaware, to Miami, Florida, on March 7, 2026. (AFP)

Fears have grown in the US that Tehran could activate “sleeper cells” or carry out unconventional retaliatory attacks on American soil as Washington and Tel Aviv continue their war against Iran.

President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday that his administration knows where the Iranian sleeper cells are and is monitoring all of their members. The statement appeared aimed both at reassuring the public and sending a warning to Iran.

Still, the tone contrasts with more cautious assessments from US security agencies, which say the threat remains potential rather than imminent or specific.

Security agencies on alert

Trump’s remarks followed earlier comments in which he said the situation was “under control” and that authorities were “watching everyone” of the suspected sleeper cells.

While the president sought to link the issue to immigration, security agencies have adopted a more measured approach. A US intelligence assessment issued after the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei warned that Iran and its proxies could resort to selective attacks inside the United States, though large-scale assaults are considered less likely.

Officials see a higher probability of cyberattacks or smaller operations carried out by limited networks or sympathetic individuals.

The Department of Homeland Security has similarly assessed that Iran and its proxies could pose a threat through targeted attacks inside the United States.

Against that backdrop, Kash Patel, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced on Feb. 28 that the bureau had placed its counterterrorism and intelligence teams on “maximum alert.”

The move included mobilizing additional security resources and emphasizing that the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces nationwide are working around the clock to detect and disrupt potential threats. Such measures typically involve heightened surveillance of high-priority suspects, expanded use of confidential sources, reviews of technical intelligence tools and closer coordination between federal and local authorities.

Drone concerns in California

One development that drew attention in recent days was the disclosure of a confidential FBI bulletin circulated through the Los Angeles Joint Regional Intelligence Center before the outbreak of the war.

The notice warned that Iran might attempt to retaliate for US attacks by launching drones from ships at sea targeting California.

According to a security bulletin reviewed by Reuters, the FBI distributed the warning last month to law enforcement agencies, citing information collected in late February suggesting Iran could plan a surprise drone attack launched from a vessel offshore if Washington carried out strikes against it.

The bulletin, however, contained no specific information on timing or targets and described the scenario more as a potential ambition than a confirmed operational plan. It also said no further details were available regarding how such an attack might be carried out or who might be involved.

Details of the bulletin emerged publicly as the war, which began with US and Israeli strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, entered its twelfth day.

Vigilance but no imminent threat

California authorities sought to balance caution with reassurance. Governor Gavin Newsom said the state was aware of the warning and was coordinating closely with federal and local agencies while preparing for worst-case scenarios. He stressed that no credible or imminent threats had been identified.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie delivered similar messages, saying no specific threat had been detected but that coordination with federal authorities was ongoing.

Local police departments across the state said they had been informed of a higher risk environment and urged residents to report suspicious activity.

Past incidents

Previous cases have heightened US concerns. In July 2021, the Justice Department revealed a plot linked to an Iranian intelligence network to kidnap journalist and activist Masih Alinejad from New York and forcibly take her to Iran.

In March 2025, a federal court convicted two leaders of an Eastern European organized crime network in a murder-for-hire scheme targeting Alinejad on behalf of actors linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.

They were sentenced in October that year to 25 years in prison each. Another defendant involved in surveilling Alinejad and planning her killing in New York was sentenced in January 2026 to 15 years in prison.

World

Turkish-Owned Ship Allowed to Pass Through Strait of Hormuz, Minister Says

A man walks along the shore as oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz, seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP)
A man walks along the shore as oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz, seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP)
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Turkish-Owned Ship Allowed to Pass Through Strait of Hormuz, Minister Says

A man walks along the shore as oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz, seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP)
A man walks along the shore as oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz, seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP)

A Turkish-owned ship that had been waiting near Iran was allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz after authorities received permission from Tehran, Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir ‌Uraloglu was reported ‌as saying by ‌local ⁠media.

Ankara was continuing ⁠contacts with Iranian officials regarding the situation of the remaining 14 Turkish-owned vessels there, Uraloglu told reporters ⁠late on Thursday, ‌news website ‌Haberturk said.

"Fifteen ships (with Turkish ‌owners) were there; we ‌obtained permission from the Iranian authorities for one of them, which had used ‌an Iranian port, and it passed," Uraloglu ⁠was ⁠quoted as saying.

The US-Israeli war on Iran has effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, leaving tankers and other ships stranded, which has stoked concerns about global energy supply.

World

US Wants to 'Divide Europe', EU's Kallas Tells FT

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers and representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers and representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
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US Wants to 'Divide Europe', EU's Kallas Tells FT

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers and representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas arrives for a meeting of EU foreign ministers and representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium, Thursday, March 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the US wants to "divide Europe" and doesn't "like the European Union" in an interview published by the Financial Times on Friday, after more than a year of turmoil in transatlantic relations.

"What I think is actually important for everybody to understand is that the US has been very clear that they ‌want to divide ‌Europe. They don't like the ‌European ⁠Union," Kallas told the ⁠FT.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly targeted the European Union in his second term, imposing tariffs on member countries and others and talking about annexing Greenland - a move that could effectively end the NATO alliance.

This week, Trump's administration ⁠launched trade investigations into the EU and ‌other countries, including ‌China, India, Japan, South Korea and Mexico, over what ‌it said were unfair trade practices. Under the ‌investigation, the countries could face new tariffs by this summer, after the US Supreme Court tore down much of Trump's tariff program last month.

Kallas said ‌the United States' approach to the EU echoed tactics used by the bloc's ⁠adversaries, ⁠according to the FT.

EU countries should not be looking to deal with Trump bilaterally, she said, and instead should deal with him together, "because we are equal powers when we are together," the FT reported.

On defense, however, Kallas said the bloc needed "to buy from America because we don't have the assets or the possibilities or the capabilities that we need," adding that Europe needed to invest in its own defense industry.