TEHRAN – A Tuesday Bloomberg report details how the Trump administration sought Russia’s assistance to engage Iran over its nuclear program and regional influence.

The American outlet claims that the U.S. request, made during a February phone call between Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, aimed to address Washington’s “concerns” over Iran’s nuclear advancements and its support for regional allies opposing U.S. influence. Putin has allegedly agreed to take on the task. 

The outreach, which included direct talks between U.S. and Russian officials, underscores Washington’s struggle to reconcile its “maximum pressure” campaign with a stated desire for diplomacy—a contradiction long criticized by Tehran.

Since reentering the White House, Trump has oscillated between threatening Iran with “obliteration” and expressing interest in a “nuclear peace agreement.”

This duplicity mirrors his first-term approach, which saw the U.S. unilaterally withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) in 2018, reimpose crippling sanctions, and assassinate top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in 2020.

Meanwhile, Iran has fortified ties with Russia, signing a 20-year strategic partnership partly to counter Western economic coercion.

While the Kremlin confirmed no formal agreement, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reiterated Russia’s stance that “the U.S. and Iran should resolve all problems through negotiations,” adding Moscow would “do everything in its power to achieve this.”

The report comes amid Trump’s efforts to reset relations with Russia, despite its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, signaling the new administration’s potential realignment of interests in West Asia.

During a Feb. 18 meeting in Riyadh, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reportedly discussed Iran-related collaboration, though details remain undisclosed.

According to Bloomberg, Lavrov later briefed Iranian officials in Tehran, where Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reaffirmed Iran’s rejection of “negotiations under duress,” citing Trump’s erratic policies as proof of U.S. unreliability.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei echoed Iran’s widespread distrust last month, partly because Trump withdrew from the nuclear agreement in 2018 and imposed unjust sanctions. “The reason? Experience,” he declared.

President Masoud Pezeshkian echoed this stance: “Iran will not be bullied into submission,” asserting Iran’s “resistance economy” and partnership with Russia as shields against U.S. pressure.