SAINT PETERSBURG, June 19, 2025 (AFP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that a deal to end the fighting between Israel and Iran was possible, and that Israel’s strikes on Iran had led to a “consolidation” of Iranian society around its leadership.

He added that he did “not even wish to discuss” the idea Israel might assassinate Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“We see that today in Iran there is a consolidation of society around the country’s political leadership,” Putin told foreign journalists, including AFP, at a televised event.

“This is a delicate issue, and of course we need to be very careful here, but in my opinion, a solution can be found,” he added.

Putin said such an agreement could guarantee both Israel’s security and Iran’s desire for a civilian nuclear programme.

Israel said its surprise air campaign was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons — an ambition Tehran denies.

“I believe it would be good for all of us together to look for ways to stop the fighting and seek ways for the participants in the conflict to find an agreement,” he said.

Putin said there were more than 200 Russian employees at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran which was built by Russia’s Rosatom.

“We agreed with the leadership of Israel that their security would be ensured,” he said.

He said Russia could “continue” to work with Iran on its civilian nuclear programme and “ensure their interests in this sphere”.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday appeared to rebuff Putin’s earlier offer to mediate in the conflict, saying the Russian president should end his own conflict in Ukraine first.

“I spoke to him yesterday and… he actually offered to help mediate, I said ‘do me a favor, mediate your own,'” Trump told reporters as he unveiled a giant new flag pole at the White House.

Russia has deepened military ties with Iran since Moscow launched its campaign in Ukraine in 2022, and in January they inked a far-ranging strategic partnership agreement.

Kyiv and its allies have long accused Iran of supplying Russia with drones and short-range missiles, but Putin said at his press event that Iran hadn’t asked for military help since Israel’s assault.

The assault on Ukraine and the war in Gaza have strained Moscow’s traditionally good relations with Israel, home to a large Russian-born community.