Russia

Talks on a potential new nuclear deal between the U.S. and Iran have once again hit a deadlock. But they haven’t broken down completely — instead, both parties appear to be focused on negotiating better terms for themselves. Amid this impasse, Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to help broker an agreement, telling Trump he’d be willing to serve as a mediator. But what would Moscow’s involvement in these negotiations do for Washington and Tehran? And does the Kremlin really want to see Iran get out from under U.S. sanctions? To answer these questions and more, Meduza turned to Middle East expert Nikita Smagin, author of the Telegram channel Islamism from a Foreign Agent.