Russia to help Trump with Iran Nuclear issue

Russia agrees to help Trump communicate with Iran on nuclear issue, Bloomberg reports

MOSCOW, March 4 (Reuters) - "Russia has agreed to assist U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration in communicating with Iran on various issues, including on Tehran's nuclear program and its support for regional anti-U.S. proxies, Bloomberg reported.

The report, which was picked up by Russian state media, quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that "Russia believes that the United States and Iran should resolve all problems through negotiations" and that Moscow "is ready to do everything in its power to achieve this."

Trump last month restored his "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran which includes efforts to drive its oil exports down to zero in order to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran denies any such intention.

Russia has deepened its ties with the Islamic Republic since the start of the Ukraine war, and signed a strategic cooperation treaty with Iran in January."

Jeursalem Post: "Could this be part of a grand bargain where the US reduces support for Ukraine and Russia gets Iran closer to a new deal? In the past, president Barack Obama’s administration also linked reconciliation with Russia to hopes for an Iran deal. At the time, Russia benefited and invaded Ukraine in 2014.

The Trump administration’s new position appears to be more than just looking at a potential Iranian deal. Its stance involves a shift in focus to China and adjusting its relations with Russia. The question is whether Russia will mostly benefit from this or whether the US will as well.

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