The expert assessed the likelihood of negotiations between Iran and Israel

Negotiations between Iran and Israel seem unlikely due to the deep hostility between the parties. Sergey Balmasov, an expert at the Institute of the Middle East and an expert at the Russian Council on International Affairs, said this in an interview with Izvestia on June 16.

"There is deep hostility between the parties, which, in general, is so difficult to overcome that it is almost impossible to bring them to the negotiating table now," he said.

Speaking about Tel Aviv's key allies, Balmasov said that the United States remains Israel's main partner, which continues to exert significant influence on conflicts in the region. At the same time, the situation with Iran seems to be more complicated. According to the expert, if earlier Tehran had many regional allies, such as Syria and the Shiite group Hezbollah, now their capabilities have significantly decreased.

Balmasov also added that Russia has no plans to actively interfere in the conflict due to the unpredictability of Iran's behavior.

"When we were developing the strategic partnership agreement, we were by no means opposed to signing the agreement in the form in which we concluded it with North Korea, with the DPRK. But here the representatives of the Iranian side themselves, they showed some kind of hesitation, a desire to balance between the West and us (Russia. — Ed.) and China. The agreement in its current form, which, as far as I remember, was recently ratified by the Iranian parliament, it does not imply an article on our provision of military assistance, unlike how we agreed with North Korea," he said.

China, the expert continued, despite its dependence on Iranian oil, is also not ready to enter into an open confrontation with the United States, as it has its own internal problems, including the situation with Taiwan.

In addition, Balmasov said that the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, although they condemn Israel's actions, actually feel schadenfreude towards Iran because of their competitive relations.

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At the same time, prolonging the fighting increases Tehran's chances, experts say.

On the same day, the Reuters news agency, citing an unnamed Iranian representative, reported that Tehran was not ready to negotiate a cease-fire while Israel continued strikes on the territory of the Islamic Republic.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on June 15 that the Islamic Republic is ready to conclude an agreement that guarantees the country's absence of nuclear weapons. At the same time, Araqchi noted that if the purpose of the agreement is to deprive Iran of its nuclear rights, then Tehran will not agree to such a deal.