Russian President Vladimir Putin has extended an offer to mediate the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, amid threats from US President Donald Trump to potentially assassinate Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. However, Trump swiftly rejected Putin’s mediation offer, instead suggesting that Russia should focus on resolving its own conflict with Ukraine.
The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov speaking in an interview with Sky News from 2:29 expressed strong disapproval of any potential assassination attempt on Ayatollah Khamenei, warning of severe repercussions. “We will strongly disapprove it. It would lead to an action coming from inside Iran. Iran’s society is very well-organized and very well-consolidated, and it will lead to the birth of extremists inside Iran,” Peskov stated in the interview.
He further cautioned that such actions would lead to an unforeseen trouble, emphasizing that past mistakes should serve as lessons. “And those who are speaking about that, they should keep it in mind that they will open the Pandora’s box. We did a lot of mistakes, and we did open lots of Pandora’s boxes throughout the last decade. Why should we do another mistake?” Peskov added.
Putin had previously underscored the unacceptability of discussing regime change in Iran, deeming it “unimaginable.” Meanwhile, Trump described Ayatollah Khamenei as an “easy target,” claiming knowledge of his hiding location, but stated that he won’t be killed “for now” as the US pushes for Iran’s unconditional surrender on nuclear ambitions.
In contrast, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hasn’t ruled out the possibility of targeting Iran’s Supreme Leader, believing it could potentially end the current conflict rather than escalate it. Russia’s diplomatic efforts aim to find a peaceful resolution with Putin’s proposals has been met with a mixed reaction considering Putin’s ongoing invasion of the Ukrainian territory.
