Putin offers to help broker U.S.-Iran deal as Moscow pushes mediation

Responsible Statecraft reported that Putin’s offer, made during a meeting with Witkoff last week, is the latest in a series of Russian proposals to act as an intermediary. The magazine said Moscow fears further escalation and spillover across the Persian Gulf and parts of the former Soviet space, while Russia’s role as a leading exporter of enriched uranium could help address the impasse over Iran’s domestic enrichment. It also said Iran has so far shown limited interest in the proposal.

Analysts cited by the magazine described both Russia’s potential role and its limits. Anton Mardasov said Moscow is trying to support Iran through grain purchases, humanitarian aid and likely intelligence sharing, but its influence over Tehran is not guaranteed. Mark Katz said the conditions that enabled the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action are no longer present, and Nikita Smagin said Russia can relay messages but the core problem is the absence of a basis for compromise between Washington and Tehran.

According to the magazine, Russia’s support for Iran has complicated its credibility with the GCC, and Moscow may be better positioned to use the conflict to advance its own geopolitical and economic interests than to resolve it.