Iran

Trump says he's 'open to' Putin mediating between Israel, Iran

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Trump says he's 'open to' Putin mediating between Israel, Iran
US President Donald Trump (L) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) at Finland's Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland on July 16, 2018. (Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. President Donald Trump said on June 15 that he is considering his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as a potential mediator between Israel and Iran.

"Yeah, I would be open to it," Trump said, as cited by ABC reporter Rachel Scott on X. "He is ready. He called me about it. We had a long talk about it. We talked about this more than his situation. This is something I believe is going to get resolved."

Since June 13, Israel has carried out several massive air strikes against Iran, particularly the country's nuclear facilities and scientists. The Israeli government justified the attack by saying that Tehran was on the verge of creating a nuclear bomb.

The situation has escalated, with Iran retaliating by striking Tel Aviv and other targets in Israel.

Reports have indicated that Israel approached the Trump administration to take a more active role in the strikes.

Scott said that Trump denied the U.S. was actively participating in the Israeli-Iranian conflict.

"We're not involved in it," he said, as cited by Scott. "It's possible we could get involved. But we are not at this moment."

Trump is seemingly eager to see a deal between Israel and Iran sooner rather than later.

"Iran and Israel should make a deal, and will make a deal, just like I got India and Pakistan to make," Trump wrote on Truth Social on June 15. "We will have PEACE, soon, between Israel and Iran!"

The Ukrainian government has condemned Iran as a major supplier of weapons to Russia — most notably the Shahed deep-strike drones.

"We would like to remind you that the Iranian regime supports Russia in its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine and provides Moscow with weapons to kill Ukrainians," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on June 13.

How Russia’s Shahed drones are getting more deadly — and what Ukraine is doing about it
Editor’s note: Due to the security protocols of the unit featured in this story, the Ukrainian soldiers are identified by first name only. Russia’s air strikes on Ukraine have become far more deadly in recent months. Part of the uptick is due to limited air defense to bring
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Kollen Post

Defense Industry Reporter

Kollen Post is the defense industry reporter at the Kyiv Independent. Based in Kyiv, he covers weapons production and defense tech. Originally from western Michigan, he speaks Russian and Ukrainian. His work has appeared in Radio Free Europe, Fortune, Breaking Defense, the Cipher Brief, the Foreign Policy Research Institute, FT’s Sifted, and Science Magazine. He holds a BA from Vanderbilt University.

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