Putin, Israeli PM discuss Iran in phone call as Tehran tensions with US rise

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed developments in the Middle East and Iran in a phone call on Friday, the Kremlin said, as diplomatic maneuvering intensified over possible U.S. military action against Tehran.

According to a Kremlin statement, Putin offered Russia’s assistance in mediation efforts related to Iran, outlining his “fundamental stance in favor of stepping up political and diplomatic efforts aimed at ensuring the region’s stability and security.”

Israeli sources confirmed the Netanyahu-Putin call, but provided no further details. 

The New York Times reported on Thursday, citing a senior U.S. official, that Netanyahu had asked President Donald Trump in a phone call on Wednesday to hold off on an American military strike against Iran while diplomatic leverage and deterrent pressure were being tested.

The diplomatic exchanges coincided with shifting U.S. public messaging on the Islamic Republic’s internal crackdown.

On Wednesday, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he had received information from “very important sources on the other side” indicating that Iranian authorities had stopped executing dissidents.

“We were told that the killing in Iran is stopping and there’s no plan for executions,” Trump said. “There’s no plan for executions or an execution. I’ve been told that on good authority. We’ll find out about it. I’m sure if it happens, I’ll be very upset.”

On Thursday, the White House went further, saying that as many as 800 executions in Iran had been halted, but that Trump is continuing to monitor the situation closely.

The Kremlin did not address the U.S. statements on Iran’s internal actions, but said Putin emphasized the importance of diplomacy and de-escalation during his conversation with Netanyahu.

“The Russian side confirmed its commitment to continue making mediation efforts and promoting a constructive dialogue involving all concerned parties,” it said.

The Kremlin reported later that Putin also spoke by phone with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday as he “continued efforts” to de-escalate tensions between Washington and Tehran.

“It was noted that Russia and Iran unanimously and consistently support de-escalating the tensions—both surrounding Iran and in the region as a whole—as soon as possible and resolving any emerging issues via exclusively political and diplomatic means,” it said.

“This is assistance not only to Iran, but to the entire region, as well as to the cause of regional stability and peace,” the Kremlin’s top spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

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Here is the latest on the civil unrest in Iran:

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The developments reflect parallel diplomatic tracks involving Moscow, Jerusalem, and Washington, as uncertainty persists over Iran’s next moves and the international response.

Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, said on Thursday the United States had communicated with Iranian officials in recent days and reported that plans for mass hangings of protesters in Iran had been “shut down,” as Washington weighed a diplomatic path with Tehran rather than military action.

Asked by Australian broadcaster Erin Molan at an Israeli-American Council (IAC) event in Florida whether the United States could resort to military action against Iran, Witkoff said he hoped for a diplomatic resolution, but warned that the alternative was “a bad one.”

The Pentagon has meanwhile ordered the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group to move to the Middle East amid the mounting unrest in Iran.

It is expected to take roughly a week for the strike group to transit from the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East, Forbes reported on Thursday.

Tehran has cracked down violently on nationwide protests that began in late December, prompting Trump to warn that the U.S. might intervene. Last June, Israel and the United States both bombed Iranian nuclear sites during a 12-day war.