Russian, Iranian leaders discuss nuclear issue as Trump ramps up rhetoric

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian discussed the future of Tehran’s nuclear program on Tuesday, a day after President Trump threatened to strike Iran if it rebuilds its atomic program.

The two leaders talked about strengthening bilateral ties and emphasized the importance of implementing existing strategic agreements between the two countries, according to the Kremlin.

Russia and Iran this year signed the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which created a framework for bilateral cooperation on cybersecurity, counterterrorism and nuclear energy production.

Separately, the Kremlin said it is necessary for Russia to “develop a dialogue with Iran” and urged other parties to “refrain from escalation,” a clear reference to comments made by Mr. Trump following a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.

Mr. Trump warned Iran not to rebuild its nuclear and ballistic missile programs or else face U.S. airstrikes. He also confirmed he would support Israeli airstrikes on any rebuilt Iranian facilities.

“I hope Iran is not trying to build up, as I’ve been reading, that they’re building up weapons and other things. And if they are, they’re not using the sites that we obliterated, but they’re using possibly different sites,” Mr. Trump said. “I hope they’re not doing it, because we don’t want to waste the fuel on B-2, it’s a 37-hour trip both ways.”

Mr. Pezeshkian dismissed Mr. Trump’s comments and vowed that any attack on Iran’s facilities would be met with a “harsh and regrettable” response.

His comments echo those of Ali Shamkhani, senior adviser to the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who said Iran’s “defensive capabilities are neither containable nor in need of permission.”

This week’s renewed tensions come as Israeli officials continue to sound the alarm over Iran’s efforts to rebuild its missile and nuclear programs, which were severely damaged during Iran’s 12-day war with Israel and the U.S. in June.

The U.S. and Iran this year had engaged in months of negotiations over the latter’s nuclear program, which Iran maintains is used only for civilian purposes.

However, following a critical report from the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors in June, Israel launched preemptive strikes on Iran, targeting nuclear enrichment facilities and strategic military locations. The U.S. joined the conflict days later, targeting strikes on Iran’s most fortified uranium enrichment centers.

Since the war, Iran has vowed to rebuild its nuclear facilities and has resisted calls from watchdog organizations to allow independent investigators to view the damaged enrichment sites.