Kremlin Says All Parties in Middle East Should Show Restraint Amid Iran Talks

A top Russian government spokesman called on Iran and “all parties” in the region to show restraint amid a buildup of U.S. military assets in the Middle East.

“These are planned exercises; they are coordinated in advance. Russia continues to develop relations with Iran, and in doing so, we call on our Iranian friends and all parties in the region to exercise restraint and caution, and we urge them to prioritize political and diplomatic means in resolving any problems,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.

He added that Moscow is now “indeed seeing an unprecedented escalation of tensions in the region. But we still expect that political and diplomatic means and negotiations will continue to prevail in the search for a settlement.”

It comes as U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Thursday that the Iranian regime could face an “unfortunate” outcome if an agreement on the country’s controversial nuclear program isn’t reached in the coming 10 to 15 days.

“We’re either going to get a deal, or it’s going to be unfortunate for them,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One.

The U.S. military has sent at least two aircraft carrier groups, including the USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group, to the Middle East as the U.S. government and Iran have held negotiations in Oman over the program.

Last summer, the United States and Israel pummeled Iran’s nuclear facilities during a 12-day aerial war that also included Iran firing barrages of missiles at Israeli cities and U.S. bases in the region.

On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a phone call that Tehran is working to come to an agreement with the United States on the nuclear program, according to state-run IRNA.

But earlier this week, Iran’s top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in a post on X that Tehran’s nuclear program is being used for peaceful purposes and accused the United States of being an “oppressive” empire that is “interfering in our country’s internal affairs.”

“The US President keeps saying that they have the strongest military force in the world. The strongest military force in the world may at times be struck so hard that it cannot get up again,” Khamenei wrote on Feb. 17, without elaborating on how Iran would be able deal such a blow against the American military.

This week, Trump also warned on Truth Social that the UK should not enter a lease agreement involving Diego Garcia, the Indian Ocean island that has been used as a U.S.–UK military base since the 1970s.

“Should Iran decide not to make a Deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia, and the Airfield located in Fairford, in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime,” he wrote. “Do not give away Diego Garcia!” he added in all caps.

One week ago, Trump said in an exchange with reporters that he believes a collapse of the current Iranian regime would be the “best thing” to happen to the country in the midst of the talks.

“For 47 years, they’ve been talking and talking and talking,” he said.

The comments came about a month after widespread protests erupted across the country, prompting Iran to launch a clampdown that, according to human rights activists, left thousands of people dead. At the time, Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social that he supports the protesters and suggested at one point that the United States should come to help.

Reuters contributed to this report.