KEY POINTS
- Putin cited the IAEA’s assessment that there is no evidence Iran seeks nuclear weapons
- He highlighted Iran’s religious fatwa banning nuclear weapons as a serious commitment
- Putin says Russia ready to assist Iran in its civilian nuclear programme
- Iran said it won’t resume nuclear talks with the US while under Israeli attack
- Israeli airstrikes targeted Iran’s nuclear site in Isfahan
- Iran reported over 430 killed in Israeli strikes; Israel reported 25 deaths from Iranian attacks
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday voiced support for Iran’s nuclear programme for peaceful purposes, while firmly opposing the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
In an interview with Sky News Arabia, Putin stressed that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has “found no evidence” of Iran seeking to develop nuclear weapons, and highlighted Tehran’s religious decree banning such weapons as a serious commitment, Turkish broadcaster TRT Global reported.
The Russian President said Moscow has told Israel many times there is no proof Iran wants nuclear weapons.
Iran has always said that its nuclear programme is entirely peaceful and that it has never sought to develop a nuclear weapon.
Putin reaffirmed Russia’s firm opposition to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, describing Iran’s fatwa banning nuclear weapons as a serious and important step that should be taken seriously. “The fatwa in Iran banning nuclear weapons is of great importance.”
Russia ready to help Iran
The Russian President also said that Moscow is ready to assist Iran in the development of its civilian nuclear programme. “We believe Iran has the right to use nuclear energy peacefully, and we are ready to help,” Putin said.
He explained that peaceful nuclear activities are legal under international agreements.
Furthermore, Putin highlighted the role of the IAEA in monitoring Iran’s nuclear activities. He said Russia works closely with the agency to ensure Iran follows the rules.
Hostilities broke out on June 13 when Israel launched air strikes on several sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes.
Israeli authorities said at least 25 people have been killed and hundreds injured since then in Iranian missile attacks.
Iran says 430 killed in Israeli strikes
Meanwhile, Iran said 430 people have been killed and 3,500 injured in Israeli strikes since the conflict began on 13 June.
A human rights group tracking Iran, the Human Rights Activists News Agency, put the unofficial death toll at 657 on Friday.
Iran said Israel had targeted a nuclear facility near the city of Isfahan. Israel said it was targeting military infrastructure in south-west Iran and reported at least one impact from Iranian drones that entered its airspace.
Iran warns US against involvement in conflict
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday told reporters in Istanbul that any US involvement in the conflict would be “very very dangerous”.
Araghchi said his country was “absolutely ready for a negotiated solution” on their nuclear programme but that Iran “cannot go through negotiations with the US when our people are under bombardment”.
On Friday he told European envoys in Geneva on Friday that Iran would not resume talks over its nuclear programme until Israel’s strikes stopped.
On Thursday Trump said he was giving Tehran the “maximum” of two weeks to reach a deal on its nuclear activities with Washington. He said he would soon decide whether the US should join Israel’s strikes on Iran.
Disagreement has been building within Trump’s “America First” movement over whether the US should enter the conflict.
Israel strikes Isfahan nuclear site
Israel targeted “two centrifuge production sites” at Iran’s Isfahan nuclear facility overnight in a second wave of strikes on the location since the start of the war, a military official said as reported by AFP.
“Isfahan we targeted in the first 24 hours of our operation, but we carried out a second wave of strikes there overnight, deepening our achievements and advancing the damage to the facility,” the military official told reporters during a briefing on condition of anonymity, AFP reported.
The repeated raids by the Israeli air force have “dealt a severe blow to Iran’s centrifuge production capabilities”, the official added.
