Putin wades in: Russia warns Trump against bombing Iran and says Israel is 'millimetres away' from sparking nuclear 'catastrophe' with its airstrikes as Trump considers US military attack
Russia 's top brass has issued stark warnings to US President Donald Trump, urging the White House to stay out of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran as American military assets bear down on the region.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov declared that US military assistance to Israel could 'radically destabilise the Middle East' as Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the world was 'millimetres from catastrophe'.
The head of the SVR foreign intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin, described the situation as 'critical' and added his agents were 'in contact with special intelligence services of both Iran and Israel'.
Vladimir Putin meanwhile has reiterated his willingness to act as a mediator between the warring parties as he seeks to position Moscow as a regional power broker.
Fears that the United States could wade into yet another war in the Middle East grew yesterday when a security source revealed Trump and his team were considering a number of options, including joining Israel in strikes against Iranian nuclear sites.
On Tuesday, Trump openly mused on social media about killing Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but said 'We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.'
Russia's insistence that the US must exercise restraint in the conflict comes after Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei vowed to punish Israel for its strikes, dismissed Trump's call for 'unconditional surrender' and said that an American military intervention would lead to 'irreparable consequences'.
The Kremlin issued a statement following a conversation between Putin and his counterpart from the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, that called for a 'speedy end to hostilities' using 'political and diplomatic means'.
Israel on Friday began a brutal campaign of air strikes against Iran's nuclear sites, scientists and top military leaders in a surprise attack that Russia, along with Turkey, the Arab world and several other nations, condemned as unprovoked and illegal.
Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks on Israeli cities and Khamenei has refused to back down, declaring that Iran has every right to defend itself.
The Kremlin, despite having denounced Israel's assault and used the opportunity to hit out at the Western world for contributing to 'anti-Iran hysteria', has stopped short of backing Tehran in any military capacity.
Putin's war in Ukraine has been made possible by enduring support from Tehran, and Russia and Iran signed a sweeping strategic partnership earlier this year to formalise their military and political alignment.
But the Russian President was always going to put his own interests and those of his country before his allegiances to the Islamic Republic, and is using the opportunity to manoeuvre into a position as a power broker, mediator and potential saviour.
A Kremlin statement at the weekend pointed out that 'the US is ready to hold another round of talks with Iran on the latter's nuclear programme in Oman'.
Putin also personally telephoned the White House on Saturday to offer Moscow's services as an intermediary between Jerusalem and Tehran.
A successful resolution of the Israel-Iran hostilities off the back of Russian mediation would be hugely supportive of Putin's efforts to portray Russia as a leader of the non-Western world and an enduring power with significant global influence.
It would also likely earn Putin a significant amount of good grace from Trump that could prove useful in future ceasefire negotiations with Kyiv.
In the meantime, the Israel-Iran conflict offers a convenient distraction from the Russian armed forces' incessant assault on Ukraine's territory.
Putin's troops this week launched one of their most brutal attacks on Kyiv of the war so far, unleashing waves of missiles and drones that destroyed apartment blocks and left more than two dozen people dead, with more still unaccounted for.
Iranian Red Crescent Society members search through the rubble for victims after Israeli strikes
As Putin works to insert himself into the Israel-Iran conflict, Trump is said to be considering a US strike on Tehran following Situation Room crisis talks with security advisers.
Trump was given three options by advisors about how the largest military in history should assist Israel in demolishing Iran's nuclear programme, according to The New York Times.
The most conservative option was to instruct the US Air Force to refuel Israeli airplanes so they could sustain their bombing campaigns over Iran, as well as to offer intelligence to increase the efficacy of Israel's strikes.
The second option included American and Israeli joint strikes on Iran.
The third and most hawkish variant was reportedly a US-led military campaign that included the deployment of B-1 and B-2 stealth bombers, aircraft carriers and 'cruise missiles launched from submarines'.
Four US B-52 Stratofortress bombers have already been stationed at the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean - within striking distance of Iran.
The B-52s, which can carry nuclear weapons or other precision-guided bombs, were spotted on a runway at Diego Garcia on Monday.
While those were being deployed, Trump urged Iran's 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER' and even issued a death threat to Khamenei after he abruptly left the G7 summit in Canada yesterday.
He said the US knows where the Supreme Leader is hiding out, but doesn't want him killed 'for now.'
While Trump weighs his options, Israel this afternoon conducted new attacks across Tehran, one of which was claimed to have destroyed Iran 's internal security headquarters.
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