President Putin refuses to comment on US-Israeli scenario that could assassinate Iran's Supreme Leader
Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 18 refused to discuss the possibility that Israel and the United States could assassinate Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Instead, he asserted that the Iranian people were united around the leadership in Tehran and called on all sides to seek a peaceful solution.
Speaking to senior news agency editors in St. Petersburg, President Putin was asked about his reaction if Israel, with US support, assassinated Supreme Leader Khamenei.
“I don't even want to discuss this possibility. I don't want to,” Mr Putin replied firmly.
When asked further, the Russian President said he had heard about the statements related to this but did not want to comment further.
Mr Putin's remarks came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly said that Israeli military strikes could lead to regime change in Iran.
Meanwhile, on June 17, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington knew where Mr. Khamenei was "hiding" but "temporarily" had no intention of assassinating him.
"We see that today in Iran, with all the complexity of the internal political processes taking place...
The Russian president said that all sides should seek to end the conflict, ensuring both Iran's right to peaceful nuclear energy and the Jewish state's unconditional right to security.
The comments come as the world awaits whether the US will join Israel in a campaign of airstrikes against Iran's nuclear and missile facilities, which have entered their sixth day and have forced many residents of the capital Tehran to flee.
Mr Putin revealed that he had been in contact with both US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, and had conveyed Moscow's ideas on resolving the conflict, including ensuring Iran's access to civilian nuclear energy.
Asked about the possibility of regime change in Iran, Mr Putin said that before taking action, it is necessary to consider whether the main goal has been achieved. He pointed out that Iran's underground uranium enrichment facilities remained intact after the airstrikes.
"Those underground plants, they still exist, nothing has happened to them," Putin said. "For me, the right thing is that all sides should seek to end the fighting and find a solution so that the parties to the conflict can come to an agreement."
Asked whether Russia was ready to supply modern weapons to Iran for self-defense, President Putin said the strategic partnership treaty signed with Tehran in January did not include military cooperation and Iran had not made any official requests for this.
Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow had told the US not to attack Iran because it would deeply destabilize the entire Middle East. The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman also warned that Israeli attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities risked causing a nuclear disaster.
President Putin said Israel had assured Moscow that Russian specialists helping build two more reactors at Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant would not be harmed in the air strikes.
He affirmed that Moscow has "very good relations with Iran" and that Russia can ensure Iran's interests in the nuclear energy sector. Russia has offered to receive enriched uranium from Iran and provide nuclear fuel for the country's civilian energy program.
"It is absolutely possible to ensure Iran's interests in the field of peaceful nuclear energy, while addressing Israel's concerns about its security. We have clearly outlined (these ideas) to our partners from the United States, Israel and Iran," Putin said.
