Putin says he doesn’t want to discuss Israel’s possibility of killing Iran’s supreme leader
Simon Robinson
St. Petersburg, Russia (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declined to discuss the possibility that Israel and the United States will kill Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and said the Iranian people are consolidating their leadership around Tehran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly speculated that Israeli military attacks could lead to changes in the Iranian regime, while U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States knows where Khamenei is “hiding”, but Washington will not kill him at this time.
When asked what his reaction would be if Israel killed Khamenei with the assistance of the United States, Putin said: “I don’t even want to discuss this possibility. I don’t want to do that.”
Putin said he had heard remarks about killing Khamenei when oppressed, but he didn’t want to discuss it.
“We see that all the complexities of the internal political process happening in Iran today … there is social integration around the country’s political leadership,” Putin told the senior news agency in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, in northern Russia.
Putin said all parties should end hostilities by ensuring Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear power and Israel’s right to obtain unconditional security of the Jewish state in order to ensure hostilities ended.
Putin said when Trump had been speculating whether the United States would join Israel’s bombing of Iran’s nuclear and missile sites, the city surged out as residents of the Iranian capital attacked the sixth day of the air strike.
Putin said he has maintained contact with Trump and Netanyahu, who has communicated Moscow’s ideas on a conflict resolution while ensuring Iran continues to obtain civilian nuclear energy.
Iranian nuclear facilities
Putin’s questioning of possible regime changes in Iran should always consider whether the main goal has been achieved before starting before something is underway.
He said Iran’s underground uranium enrichment facilities remain intact.
“These underground factories exist, nothing happened to them,” Putin said.
“It seems to me that everyone can find ways to end hostilities and find ways for the parties to this conflict to reach an agreement with each other,” Putin said. “I think that solutions like this can usually be found.”
Asked if Russia is ready to provide Iran with modern weapons to defend Israel’s strike, Putin said a strategic partnership treaty signed with Tehran in January did not envision military cooperation and Iran did not make any formal requests for aid.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Wednesday that Moscow told the United States not to strike Iran because it would stabilize the Middle East.
A spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry also warned that Israel’s strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities could trigger a nuclear disaster.
Putin said Israel assured Moscow that Russian experts’ bush nuclear power plant in Iran would help build two reactors, which would not be hurt in the air strikes.
Putin said Moscow “has a good relationship with Iran” and that Russia can ensure Iran’s interests in nuclear energy.
Russia has proposed to enrich uranium from Iran and provide nuclear fuel to the country’s civilian energy program.
“It is possible to ensure Iran’s interests in the field of peaceful nuclear energy. Meanwhile, to address Israel’s concerns about its security,” Putin said. “We have outlined them (our ideas) to our partners in the United States, Israel and Iran.”
(Other reports by Vladimir Soldatkin and Gleb Bryanski
