U.S. seeks Russian support on Iran at key Israel meeting - source

[webfact]

U.S. seeks Russian support on Iran at key Israel meeting - source

By Phil Stewart

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton speaks during a graduation ceremony at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, U.S., May 22, 2019. REUTERS/Michelle McLoughlin/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States believes Russia may be more amenable than in the past to addressing U.S. and Israeli concerns about Iran's influence, including in Syria, when national security leaders meet in Jerusalem this month, a U.S. official said on Tuesday.

 

The United States announced last week that John Bolton, White House national security adviser, would meet his Israeli and Russian counterparts in Jerusalem in June. But it provided no details about the meeting, which comes at a moment of heightened tension between Washington and Tehran.

 

The senior Trump administration official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, described the meeting as an "unprecedented diplomatic opportunity" for discussions on Syria - where all three countries have been involved militarily.

 

But beyond discussions to prevent any unintended military escalation, the U.S. official said the goal of the talks would be "to see how we can potentially work together to get rid of the primary irritant in the Middle East, which is the Islamic Republic of Iran."

 

U.S. aspirations for Russian support in is effort to roll back Iranian influence are nothing new. Russia has long been publicly dismissive of such rhetoric, including on Syria, where Moscow and Tehran have both acted militarily on the side of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the country's civil war.

 

The Trump administration last month sped the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group and ordered bombers, Patriot missiles and more troops to the Middle East, citing intelligence about possible Iranian preparations to attack U.S. forces or interests. Iran has dismissed the accusations as groundless.

 

"We would hope to make the point in conjunction with the Israelis that we don't see any positive role for the Iranians - and that would extend beyond Syria, to Lebanon, to Iraq, to Yemen - other places where they're active," the U.S. official said.

 

"And if the Russians recognise that fact, I think we will be very pleased with that outcome."

 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last month during a visit by his Iranian counterpart to Moscow that U.S. calls to curb Iran's influence in Syria and the broader Middle East were "unrealistic." Asked what, then, gave the Trump administration optimism about the prospects now, the official said Russia's public participation in a meeting of this kind in Israel - Iran's arch-foe - was significant.

 

"The fact that the Russians see value in these conversations, that they're willing to do it publicly, I think is in and of itself quite significant," the official said. "And so we are hopeful that they're coming to the meeting with some fresh proposals that will allow us to make progress."

 

Beyond Bolton, Israeli national security adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat and Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Russian Security Council, are expected to take part in the meeting, according to the Trump administration.

 

(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Dan Grebler)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-06-05

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[grumbleweed]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

in conjunction with the Israelis that we don't see any positive role for the Iranians - and that would extend beyond Syria, to Lebanon, to Iraq, to Yemen - other places where they're active," the U.S. official said.

Well we certainly don't want one country meddling  in other countries affairs. Although to be fair, the US are only obeying orders from Saudi and Israel

[legend49]

Oh so high and mighty USA cant handle the negotiations again.

[Pedrogaz]

If I were Putin, I would extract a heavy price for my support. The conditions would be: End of any and all economic sanctions against Russia; guarantee of no military action against Iran without UN endorsement; and revoking of US inflammatory decision to award the Golan Heights to Israel.

The problem the US have now is credibility....they have none....all the silly false flags of gas attacks, all the reneging on treaties, all the tariffs and sanctions...talking to the US is supping with the devil, use a long spoon.

[BestB]

Iran lost Russian support about a year ago because of Syria .

 

Russia asked Iran to leave Syria and Iranians refused.

 

russia also has been cooperating more and more with Israel and has not expressed any support for Iran ever since . 

 

 

[Morch]

2 hours ago, legend49 said:

Oh so high and mighty USA cant handle the negotiations again.

 

What negotiations would these be?

[Morch]

Russia and Iran, while supportive of Assad's regime and being opposed to USA policy and presence in the Middle East, got other issues where their respective interests diverge, or are even at odds.

 

With regard to Syria, both vie for greater leverage and control of the Syrian government, and extracting the most out of the post-war situation. Interests also differ when it comes to relations with Israel and local stability.

 

Russia has unexpected message for Iran on Syria

https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5520317,00.html

[Morch]

2 hours ago, Pedrogaz said:

If I were Putin, I would extract a heavy price for my support. The conditions would be: End of any and all economic sanctions against Russia; guarantee of no military action against Iran without UN endorsement; and revoking of US inflammatory decision to award the Golan Heights to Israel.

The problem the US have now is credibility....they have none....all the silly false flags of gas attacks, all the reneging on treaties, all the tariffs and sanctions...talking to the US is supping with the devil, use a long spoon.

 

In other words, you fantasize about being Putin, and realizing your own political views, irrespective of whether these benefit or matter to Russia, or whether they are attainable. Guess that's one reason you're an anonymous poster, and Putin is Putin.

 

I don't think that Trump can legally lift all sanctions against Russia. At least not without a serious backlash back home (even from his own party). Russia may talk about opposing USA moves vs. Iran, but in reality it benefits both from the USA being further perceived as untrustworthy, plus one less competitor in the oil markets. The Golan Heights thing? The Trump administration statement doesn't change much in effect, so seems like spending a "wish" on something with rather dubious returns. That, and Trump would be hard to convince going back on that one. 

 

The rest of your post is the usual - claimed false flags, throwing in each and every aspect (related and unrelated) aspect of USA foreign policy, and of course, the obligatory over the top "devil" bit. About as hinged as expected.

[Srikcir]

3 hours ago, Pedrogaz said:

If I were Putin, I would extract a heavy price for my support.

Official U.S. recognition that Crimea is a part of Russia and lifting of all economic sanctions related to Russian annexation of Crimea.

That would finally bring Trump to a full circle for having Russia's support for the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

[Proboscis]

9 hours ago, BestB said:

Iran lost Russian support about a year ago because of Syria .

 

Russia asked Iran to leave Syria and Iranians refused.

 

russia also has been cooperating more and more with Israel and has not expressed any support for Iran ever since . 

 

 

If the Russians think that the Iranians will stop their support of Assad, they clearly do not understand the religious ties that bind in the Middle East.

 

Each of the following countries, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Iran all play the game of trying to influence other states in the region through funding regimes, military and para-military actions and other means. They each do this due to the same reason - existential fear - in other words, they fear that if they do not do this, their very existence will be brought into question. At the best, they will be subjugated - at the worst, they will be wiped out. History tells them this.

 

A World Power like the USA could play a role in trying to reduce this fear - and in fairness to the USA, this was tried by past administrations. But the current administration seems to want to stir up the fear in the Middle East. Even from a self-interested point of view, this is madness - how many more USA soldiers have to be sent to the Middle East to die or lose limbs to make some sort of political point?

[Morch]

1 minute ago, Proboscis said:

If the Russians think that the Iranians will stop their support of Assad, they clearly do not understand the religious ties that bind in the Middle East.

 

Each of the following countries, Saudi Arabia, Israel and Iran all play the game of trying to influence other states in the region through funding regimes, military and para-military actions and other means. They each do this due to the same reason - existential fear - in other words, they fear that if they do not do this, their very existence will be brought into question. At the best, they will be subjugated - at the worst, they will be wiped out. History tells them this.

 

A World Power like the USA could play a role in trying to reduce this fear - and in fairness to the USA, this was tried by past administrations. But the current administration seems to want to stir up the fear in the Middle East. Even from a self-interested point of view, this is madness - how many more USA soldiers have to be sent to the Middle East to die or lose limbs to make some sort of political point?

 

I don't think the Russian view is that Iran ought to cease support for Assad's regime, nor that it is realistic Iran would do so. It's more to do with what favor and leverage Iran gets relative to Russia, and to Iranian interests conflicting with those of Russia (for example, increasing tensions with Israel).