Moscow [Russia], March 3 : Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to convey the "growing concerns" of Gulf Arab leaders to Iran regarding its recent strikes on regional energy and civilian infrastructure, Reuters reported the Kremlin as saying on Tuesday.
Putin's efforts aim to ease tensions, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stating he'll "make every effort to facilitate at least a minor easing of tension."
Peskov said that Putin was making efforts to defuse tensions in the West Asian region. According to a Kremlin statement, Putin's efforts to take up the concerns of Gulf leaders directly to Tehran were part of the broader efforts to calm the rising tensions amid strikes and counter-strikes across the Middle East.
This comes after the Russian President had a telephone conversation with Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud on Monday, where both sides expressed serious concern over the real risks of geographical expansion of the conflict that has "already affected several Arab states and is fraught with potentially catastrophic consequences".
"In turn, Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud opined that the Russian side could presently play a positive, stabilising role, given the friendly ties it has with both Iran and the Gulf states," the Kremlin said in a statement.
Putin also had a telephone conversation with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
"Both sides expressed concern about the risks of the conflict escalating and the threat of third countries becoming involved. At the same time, they expressed hope that Iran's retaliation would not cause any harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure, including tourism and transportation facilities, of neighbouring countries," the Kremlin said in a statement.
The Kremlin has maintained that escalation in the Middle East has resulted from the United States and Israel's armed aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran and that this "flagrant violation of international law has led to grave and tragic consequences for the Iranian people".
Notably, drone strikes forced the closure of Saudi Arabia's largest domestic oil refinery, caused a fire at the Fujairah oil industrial facility in the UAE, and hit Ras Laffan energy facilities, halting LNG production in Qatar.
The conflict has disrupted regional airspace, with closures in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and impacted global energy markets. Brent crude prices rose for a third consecutive day.
The conflict in the Middle East has entered its fourth day following the US and Israeli strikes on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, along with other key figures in the Persian Gulf country. In retaliation, Tehran has responded with counter-strikes targeting American military bases and other Israeli assets across the region.
Iran on Monday attacked energy installations of prominent American allies in the Persian Gulf, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, The New York Times reported.
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