TEHRAN – In his speech to the head of the international press on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized the resilience and unity of Iranian society, saying “Iranian society is integrating the country’s political leaders.”
He issued a statement in response to loaded questions from journalists asking about the possibility of a “change of government” in Tehran.
Putin’s remarks come days after the Israeli regime began aggression against Iran on Friday. This has been widely condemned as an act of destabilisation in the region.
The administration has marched over 300 Iranians, including senior officials and nuclear scientists, and injured more than 1,000 citizens, primarily women and children.
The Russian president has addressed the inefficiency of the recent Israeli attack on Iran’s infrastructure.
“Iranian underground facilities,” Putin said, “nothing happened to them in operation.”
He addressed concerns surrounding Iran’s nuclear program and confirmed that Russia is continuing to participate in the operation of the Bucher nuclear power plant.
He repeated the continuous operational status of the factory. He specifically said, “more than 200 Russian experts are currently helping to build two more reactors in Iran.”
Putin further argued that Russia and the Israeli regime had an agreement to ensure the safety of these facilities.
Addressing the wider conflict between Iran and the Israeli regime, Putin presented a potential path to de-escalation, but he emphasized that “this decision is up to Tehran and Tel Aviv.”
He advocated a comprehensive agreement “that takes into account the interests of all parties.”
In Putin’s view, such an agreement must take into account Iran’s rights to peaceful nuclear energy, including what Israel calls “unconditional security rights.”
He expressed confidence that “we will find such a solution.”
Other Russian officials had also issued statements on the topic before Putin’s comments about the Israeli-imposed war against Iran. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov censored Western support for Israeli invasion of Iran over a call with Iran’s counterpart Abbas Araguchi.
Iranian Russian ambassador, Kazem Jalaril, said on Tuesday that Iranians will “never forget those who were with us and those who chose to remain inactive in these times.”
Putin argued elsewhere in his speech that “Iran is not seeking military assistance from Russia. We had previously offered Tehran to work on the air defense system, but they were not very interested.”
He also said the Iran-Russia strategic partnership agreement did not include articles on the defense sector, saying “Tehran is not seeking this.”
Putin confirmed that he was in “contact” with both US President Donald Trump and Israel’s convicted war detective Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the administration’s war with Iran.
The Russian president also said Moscow was in dialogue with his “Iranian colleagues,” adding that “contact will continue tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.”
Putin also highlighted the strong and growing relations between Tehran and Moscow, saying “there is a fairly high level of trust between Russia and Iran.”
He noted that this trust creates important possibilities for further cooperation, especially in the nuclear sector.
Iran and Russia have improved in recent years, supported by a 20-year strategic partnership agreement signed during President Masuud Pezeshkian’s trip to Moscow.
It has been announced that the Russian president is planning to visit Tehran, but the timing has been reportedly not yet decided.
The agreement includes a wide range of cooperation, including several topics related to security, including economic and political spheres.