Putin Urges Iran’s Raisi to Avoid ‘Catastrophic’ Conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of the risk of a “catastrophic” escalation in the Middle East as he urged restraint in a phone call with Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi.

Putin “expressed hope that all parties will show reasonable restraint and will not allow a new round of confrontation, fraught with catastrophic consequences for the entire region,” according to a Kremlin statement published Tuesday.