MOSCOW, July 20. /TASS/. Russia is ready to host talks between Iran and Gulf countries, and the United States is mulling an agreement on cooperation in the nuclear sphere with the Saudis. Meanwhile, Budapest looks set to keep its projects with Moscow. These stories topped Monday's headlines in Russia.
Izvestia: Russia offers to host talks between Iran, Gulf countries
The confrontation between the United States and Iran has plunged the Middle East into chaos again as the two sides trade strikes daily, with sites in the Persian Gulf also being targeted. Amid this escalation, Russia has offered a lifeline, saying it is ready to provide a venue for Iranian-Arab dialogue, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov told Izvestia. In the absence of any public negotiation process, Moscow has maintained contacts with all the mediators in the conflict, including Pakistan and Turkey. As experts suggest that the parties will only increase their strikes in the coming weeks, the offer could be especially valuable.
Earlier, Tehran called on the United Nations to prohibit Gulf nations from providing the United States with bases for military strikes. In response, the Arab countries stated that they had never agreed to become a tool in Washington's hands in the war against Tehran. Moscow believes that hosting foreign military infrastructure on their soil is the choice and sovereign right of any country, Alimov stressed. But the UN isn’t taking Iran’s concerns seriously enough, the Russian diplomat added. In the meantime, Tehran is responding to Arab governments’ two-facedness on its own - with the use of force.
