Russian President Vladimir Putin held a second telephone conversation in one week with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the Kremlin’s press office said in a statement on Tuesday.
Their previous telephone conversation took place on March 6, after Putin held a series of talks with leaders of the Persian Gulf countries. On March 9, Putin spoke on the phone with US President Donald Trump.
"Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian to continue their discussion of the situation in the Middle East in light of the United States and Israel's armed aggression against Iran," the statement reads.
"The President of Russia has reaffirmed his principled stance in favour of de-escalating the conflict as soon as possible and resolving it via political means," according to the statement. Masoud Pezeshkian expressed gratitude for the support provided by Russia, including in particular the humanitarian aid granted to Iran."
The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some other key Iranian leaders were killed in the joint US-Israeli attack.
