Russia said Tuesday that President Vladimir Putin plans to relay concerns from Gulf Arab leaders to Tehran over Iranian strikes on regional oil infrastructure, as Moscow seeks to use its dialogue with Iran to help ease escalating tensions between countries that include fellow BRICS members Russia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.
The Kremlin announced Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with four Arab Gulf leaders and plans to relay their concerns to Tehran as instability grows following Iranian attacks on energy infrastructure in the region. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated the Russian leader would attempt to calm the situation, saying Putin would “certainly make every effort” to help reduce strain while passing along the worries raised by Arab governments to Iranian officials.
Russia has not publicly confirmed any new direct contact between Putin and Iran’s leadership since the latest escalation began over the weekend. The Kremlin also noted there are currently no plans for a conversation between Putin and President Donald Trump.
The diplomatic effort comes as the conflict intensifies following the launch of the U.S. military campaign known as Operation Epic Fury, conducted alongside Israeli strikes targeting Iranian military assets and leadership. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed during the opening phase of the fighting, along with dozens of senior Iranian officials.
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Iran responded with missile and drone attacks against neighboring countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain. Several of those strikes were intercepted, though some strikes and falling debris caused casualties and damage.
The United Arab Emirates reported detecting 137 Iranian ballistic missiles and more than 200 drones during one attack, most of which were intercepted. The Emirati government described the assault as a “flagrant violation of sovereignty and international law.”
President Donald Trump told Breitbart News and pool reporters:
“As I said, even the fact that they’ve attacked all of their neighbors, and the neighbors weren’t attacking. They thought they’d maybe sit it out. They’ve hit Qatar, they’ve hit UAE, they’ve hit Saudi Arabia, they’ve hit Oman–they were helping us negotiate.”
“They got hit. Everybody got hit because they’re evil and they’re bad,” Trump added.
Iranian officials have framed their actions as retaliation for the U.S. and Israeli strikes. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed Tehran was acting in response to what he described as aggression, stating that “in responding to this act of aggression, the Islamic Republic of Iran is exercising its inherent and lawful right of self-defense under Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations.” He also remarked Iran would “utilize all necessary defensive capabilities and means to confront this criminal aggression and deter the hostile acts.”
The widening confrontation has also shaken global markets. Oil prices rose for a third straight day Tuesday after Iranian strikes targeted energy infrastructure and shipping routes in the Gulf region, including tankers traveling through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude briefly climbed above $85 per barrel, while stock markets fell sharply, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping roughly 1,200 points. Natural gas prices also surged, rising about five percent in the United States while European benchmarks jumped around 25 percent.
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