Putin Calls For Ceasefire In Middle East During Calls With UAE, Qatar Leaders

Last Updated:March 02, 2026, 19:57 IST

Putin called for a Middle East ceasefire after US and Israeli strikes killed Ayatollah Khamenei and Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, escalating tensions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for a ceasefire in the Middle East during a telephonic conversation with Emirati and Qatari leaders on Monday amid the rising tensions in the Middle East.

AFP quoted the Kremlin saying in a statement that during the call with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, both leaders “emphasised the need for an immediate ceasefire and a return to the political and diplomatic process".

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This comes after Iran in retaliatory strikes hit targets across the Gulf, forcing authorities to close airspace and stalling traffic at big hubs such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

During the call with Abu Dhabi, Putin assured them that he was ready to convey to Tehran the UAE’s concerns about Iranian retaliation strikes and to provide assistance stabilising the situation in the region.

The Kremlin also stated that during the call with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, both leaders shared concerns about “the risks of the conflict’s expansion and the danger of third countries being drawn into it".

Previously, the Russian Foreign Ministry had slammed “any attacks on civilian targets, whether in Iran or Arab countries".

Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s wife, Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, died after reportedly succumbing to injuries sustained in the US–Israeli strikes. Iran’s state media, Press TV, announced on Monday that she had “attained martyrdom" following the attack.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei himself was killed in the strikes carried out by the United States and Israel on Saturday.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Monday said the “expansionist and Islamist" regime in Iran has waged a one-sided war against the United States for 47 years, warning that while America did not start the war, it will finish it.

Hegseth’s remarks came after the United States launched Operation Epic Fury, which included coordinated strikes with Israel on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials, and dealt heavy damage to the country’s ballistic missile facilities.

His remarks came as Iran and allied armed groups fired missiles at Israel, Arab states and US military targets around the region on Monday, while Israel and the United States pounded Iran as the war expanded to several fronts.

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