Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday had separate phone conversations with leaders of Arab States over the United States and Israel’s strikes on Iran and its ongoing retaliation.
Putin spoke with Saudi Arabia’s Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman; Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani; UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain.
All the countries expressed serious concern over the high risks of a geographical expansion of the conflict and its potentially unpredictable and catastrophic consequences.
In his chat with the Saudi leader, Putin stressed the need to resolve the “extremely dangerous situation” via diplomatic means, while the Crown Prince said Russia could mediate, given its friendly ties with the Gulf states.
The Russian President and King Khalifa, in their call, agreed that the current course of events, among its many negative effects, puts the security of many states in the Middle East in jeopardy.
Putin and Emir Al Thani, however, expressed hope that Iran’s retaliation would not cause any harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure, including tourism and transportation facilities of neighboring countries.
The UAE leader, meanwhile, emphasized that the retaliation by Iran had directly affected the Emirate, causing damage to the country and posing a threat to the people.
Al Nahyan said the strikes were completely unjustified as they were carried out despite the fact that the UAE was not being used to mount attacks on the Islamic Republic.
In his response, Putin expressed his willingness to convey the signals to Tehran and to provide all possible assistance in order to stabilize the situation in the region.
The U.S., Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE have condemned Iran’s “indiscriminate and reckless missile and drone attacks” against sovereign territories across the region.
They said the “unjustified strikes” endangered civilians and damaged infrastructure, saying the attack on populations and countries not engaged in hostilities “is reckless and destabilizing behavior.”
In a joint statement on Sunday, the nations described Tehran’s actions as “a dangerous escalation” that violates the sovereignty of multiple states and threatens regional stability.
Lauding the “effective air and missile defense cooperation” that has prevented greater loss of life and destruction, the allies reaffirmed their right to self-defense and commitment to regional security.
