MOSCOW, January 16. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone today with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, with details of the conversation to be announced later, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"The president devoted much of the first half of his day to the situation surrounding Iran. Today, he already had a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu, and we issued a statement to that effect. We will also inform you of the results of the telephone talk with Iranian President Pezeshkian in the near future," Peskov said.

According to him, the situation in Iran and the Middle East in general is "extremely tense." "The president continues his efforts to promote de-escalation," he added.