JERUSALEM — Israel urged the visiting Russian president on Monday to step up pressure on Iran to curb its suspected nuclear program, but there was no sign of any concessions from Vladimir Putin.
With Russia an influential voice in the international debate over Iran, the outcome of the 24-hour visit could have implications for whether Israel decides to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities or give the international community more time to find a diplomatic solution.
Israel and Russia enjoy economic and cultural relations bolstered by the more than 1 million immigrants from the former Soviet Union who live in the Jewish state. But they have different approaches to Iran’s nuclear program and the uprising in Syria, which is Iran’s close ally.
Russia has blocked drastic action against the two countries, while Israel has hinted it might act militarily against Iran.
In a statement after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Putin said their talks covered the situation in Iran and the uprising in Syria but added that he saw negotiations as the only solution.
Netanyahu gave more detail.
“We agree that nuclear weapons in the hands of Iran pose a grave danger, first for Israel but also for the region and the whole world,” he said. “Two things need to be done now: We need to bolster the sanctions and bolster the demands.”
Netanyahu insisted that all uranium enrichment in Iran must cease and its underground nuclear facility near Qom be dismantled. He added that “the killing and horrible suffering of the Syrian people” must be stopped.
Israel sees Iran as an enemy because it is convinced the country’s nuclear program is meant to build bombs and not for peaceful purposes such as energy production, as Iran insists.
