MOSCOW, June 17. /TASS/. Possible developments in the Israeli-Iranian conflict, oil prices are unpredictable, and the Kiev regime delays returning soldiers’ bodies to relatives. These stories topped Tuesday's headlines across Russia.
Media: Hopes for Israeli-Iranian diplomacy fade amid rising toll
Israel will continue to carry out its military operation against Iran for as long as necessary, Israeli army spokeswoman Anna Ukolova told Izvestia. Currently, the Jewish state does not see any opportunity for a diplomatic resolution of the conflict with Tehran. Israel intends to continue its operation until the opponent abandons the idea of creating a nuclear weapon, Israeli Ambassador to Moscow Simona Halperin said. Following the three days of air attacks, Tehran has reported over 1,800 injured and more than 220 fatalities while Israel has recorded at least 24 victims on its soil. The Russian Embassy recommended that Russian citizens leave the Jewish state until the situation stabilizes.
During a phone conversation on June 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan supported an immediate halt to combat and the settling of issues related to the Iranian nuclear program.
"Russia may serve as a mediator because we have good relations with both sides. Our treaty with Iran does not imply that we must directly intervene on its side. Overall, the situation is destabilizing the region, the power balance has significantly changed over recent years and not in Iran’s favor. Relations with Israel are also important for Russia, so limiting participation to a facilitating role would be sufficient," Middle East expert Ilya Vedeneyev told Izvestia.
"Israel does not want and is not going to sit down at the negotiating table with Iranian authorities. Netanyahu asserted that this is the enemy regime which must be destroyed. And naturally, there cannot be any talk about any prospects of negotiations between Israel and Iran," Farhad Ibragimov, a professor at the Faculty of Economics at the People’s Friendship University of Russia, explained to Izvestia.
"One of the possible ways to end the current crisis is Iran concluding a new nuclear deal with the US. The document would be signed under pressure and will become a de facto act of capitulation with the rejection of any serious activity in the nuclear sphere. Possibly, Iran will be forced to completely fold its support of proxy groups in the region and the missile program," Nikolay Surkov, a professor at MGIMO University, told Izvestia.
The US is indirectly involved in Israel’s attacks on Iran and it is hard to say whether the Trump administration has a clear plan of action in the event of a serious escalation, Nikolay Bobkin, senior research fellow at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute for US and Canadian Studies, told Vedomosti. In his opinion, the Americans may be pulled into the conflict on Israel’s side at any moment and Washington, undoubtedly, will try to create comfortable conditions for itself to prevent such a scenario. "The issue is whether Netanyahu is ready to listen to their recommendations," the expert noted.
Israel is unlikely to manage to get the US involved in a direct conflict with Iran but Washington will continue to assist with arms and intelligence, believes Associate Professor at the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at the Higher School of Economics Dmitry Novikov. The White House lacks a plan of action in the Middle East, so Netanyahu will continue to be proactive, while the US will not pressure Israel to halt combat, he told Vedomosti. That said, one way or another, Washington will try to contain any further escalation, adhering to the "minimization of losses" policy. However, such an approach gives Israel significant leeway, the expert added.
Kommersant: Oil prices fluctuate amid Middle Eastern crisis
Under the conditions of the Iranian-Israeli conflict underway, oil prices cannot reach a stable point. For the most part of June 16, amid expectations of the end of combat, Brent quotations dropped below $70 per barrel. However, continued missile strikes raised the price up to $72 per barrel toward the evening, while the price of gold slipped below $3,400 per ounce and global stock indices grew by up to 1.5%. In the absence of any further escalation in the Middle East, oil quotations may settle at a level slightly below $70 per barrel. However, in the event of more intensive attacks on energy facilities of the two opposing countries, the quotations may surpass $80 per barrel.
"Current military actions are not sufficient [for a sharper change in prices] because no real threats to oil transport flows have emerged yet," Finam analyst Nikolay Dudchenko said. Additionally, Iran’s main trans-shipment hub on Kharg Island which manages almost all of its oil exports remains untouched.
If the conflict de-escalates within a month, oil prices may return to their usual levels. "A similar situation was observed last year, for example, in October, the price of oil reached $80 per barrel and then dropped back in less than three weeks," Dmitry Skryabin, a portfolio manager at Alfa-Capital, noted. However, market players do not anticipate prices dropping below $65 per barrel as it happened in early June. "Even though the key straits in the region have not been actually blocked, carriers and insurers have already raised the costs for oil deliveries from that region," Lyudmila Rokotyanskaya from BCS Investment World noted. She also does not rule out the prices returning to a level of $80 per barrel in the event of more active strikes on energy infrastructure facilities of both countries.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: Kiev delays releasing bodies of fallen soldiers to relatives
On Monday, Ukraine confirmed receiving another 1,248 bodies of deceased servicemen. That said, Russian presidential aide and head of the Russian delegation at talks with Ukraine in Istanbul Vladimir Medinsky said that this stage of the exchange had been concluded. Overall, the Russian side has handed over 6,060 bodies to Kiev and received the remains of 78 Russian soldiers. Such a difference is caused by the significantly high level of Ukrainian losses and the fact that the bodies were collected following an offensive in the Kursk Region after regaining control over it, experts explained.
That said, various Kiev representatives have cautioned that a lengthy period of identification of bodies is ahead. For instance, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov emphasized on social networks that "an important and crucial identification stage is ahead. This is a complex and delicate process which will allow each family to obtain answers." Such statements made observers wonder as to whether the Kiev regime is planning on continuing to prolong the procedure of identifying and releasing the bodies to their relatives for burial.
"Meanwhile, judging from media reports, some of the bodies handed over have already been identified by relatives," military expert Vladimir Yevseyev from the Institute of CIS Countries told the newspaper. "The lists compiled based on the documents found on the deceased were also of help. And due to this, the warnings by the Kiev regime about the lengthy identification process of the bodies received are certainly symptomatic," he explained.
According to Yevseyev, the Ukrainian side was initially not particularly willing to receive 6,000 bodies of troops at once because, among other things, this confirms the Ukrainian army’s high loss rate. However, official Kiev continues to maintain that the total volume of Ukraine’s combat losses is approximately 30,000, even though as many Ukrainian troops have been lost in the Kursk Region alone since last August before they were driven out in April 2025. According to various estimates, overall, the Ukrainian military losses have amounted to 300,000 - 400,000 troops.
Nezavisimaya Gazeta: US weighs new visa restrictions targeting 36 countries
The Trump administration wants to restrict entry to citizens of 36 countries, including one from the post-Soviet space. Earlier, it included 12 countries in its visa blacklist, mostly African ones. The US Department of State insists that their nationals are involved in terrorist, anti-Semitic or anti-US activities. Donald Trump signals that no counteraction or discontent will make him abandon fulfilling his main electoral promise: to block the flow of illegal immigrants.
Trump’s team is getting ready for lawsuits in the US and the pushback on the part of Democratic factions in Congress. However, judging from the actions and statements by the White House’s representatives, it seems that it is much less concerned with the international response. American studies scholar Pavel Sharikov in a conversation with the newspaper noted that the US is unlikely to experience any serious consequences such as the significant worsening of relations with the countries whose citizens may be banned from entry. After all, there is always a possibility that the bans won’t be as harsh as declared.
"As we recall, during his first term, Trump already tried to introduce the so-called Muslim ban, that is, a complete ban on entry of Muslim states nationals and this hardly affected anything. In the end, the restrictions targeted not the countries themselves but some categories of their residents. For example, the poor and marginalized segments of the population. In any case, above all, Trump is concerned not about ties with other countries but about what is going on in the US. So, from the point of view of his general policy course and electoral promises, this initiative is seen as justified, at least, in the eyes of his voters," the expert said.
Izvestia: Ruble may strengthen by late June
By the end of June, the Russian currency may settle at a level of below 75 rubles/$, according to a consensus forecast by Izvestia. This is the result of rising prices on energy products due to a new wave of conflict in the Middle East: over the past couple of days, oil quotations have surged by 10%, reaching around $70 per barrel. Additionally, by the end of the month, the ruble will be traditionally supported by the tax period. There are also other fundamental factors in its favor such as talks on settling the Ukrainian conflict, trade wars and a high key rate.
With growing oil prices, the revenue of both Russian companies and the country’s budget is increasing from oil exports in the ruble equivalent. Therefore, the cash surplus of Russia’s trade balance is growing, Freedom Finance Global analyst Vladimir Chernov reiterated. He added that the supply of foreign currency on the domestic market is growing while demand has remained the same which leads to its decreased value in relation to the Russian ruble.
"Therefore, amid the military escalation in the Middle East, and the resulting growing global oil prices, the value of the Russian national currency is being boosted somewhat," Chernov said.
On the other hand, lately, the ruble has not been as strongly linked to oil prices as before. For example, in early April, the drop in oil quotations amounted to 20%, while the ruble rate got even a bit stronger, by 1.5%, Ivan Yefanov, an analyst at the Tsifra Broker investment company, noted.
Additionally, Sovcombank Chief Analyst Mikhail Vasilyev reiterated that export revenues from oil sales get to the domestic market with a several months’ delay. Therefore, the main impact of the current surge of oil prices will be seen in August.
The current general geopolitical situation has a positive impact on the ruble rate. Ongoing talks on settling the Ukrainian conflict also serve as a contributing factor, Finam analyst Alexander Potavin reiterated.
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