MOSCOW, June 5. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump is attempting to leverage Russia’s partnership with Iran for his own interests, but Moscow won’t pressure Tehran to accommodate Washington, leading researcher at the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies Boris Dolgov told TASS regarding the phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart.

During their conversation on Wednesday, the two leaders discussed both the Ukrainian conflict and US-Iran negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program. Trump asked Putin to assist in advancing the process. Dolgov noted in that regard that Washington shouldn’t expect Moscow to exert pressure on Iran.

"A strategic cooperation agreement was recently signed between Russia and Iran. Naturally, Trump is trying to use this partnership to promote his own interests, those of the US and Israel," the expert emphasized. "But there is no way the Russian president would pressure or negotiate with Iranian leadership specifically to support the US and Israel’s position."

Dolgov stressed that while preventing nuclear proliferation is a well-known Russian stance, "Russia won't pressure Iran" to accommodate the US since Tehran has repeatedly declared it doesn’t seek nuclear weapons and is only developing peaceful nuclear energy projects. The expert added that Russia remains a "key player" in Iran nuclear talks, and its mediation would benefit both Iran and the overall process. "Russia’s participation in the talks regarding the Iranian nuclear program would be a positive factor for Iran," he concluded.

Iran Nuclear Talks

On May 23, ISNA news agency reported that the fifth round of talks between Iran and the United States on the settlement of disputes over Tehran’s nuclear program began in Rome. According to the report, the Iranian delegation is headed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, while Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is leading the US mission.

The US and Iran, mediated by Oman, have held four rounds of negotiations: the first on April 12 in Muscat, the second on April 19 in Rome, and the third and fourth on April 26 and May 11, again in Oman's capital.

Araghchi warned on May 21 that Iran would withdraw from talks if the US continues demanding an end to uranium enrichment. Washington insists Tehran must stop enrichment and essentially dismantle its nuclear program.