Israel reportedly holds secret talks with Russia over Iran and Syria after ceasefire

Israel has reportedly held secret diplomatic talks with Russia following its US-brokered ceasefire with Iran, according to the Israeli public broadcaster Kan.

Sources close to the negotiations said Israeli officials reached out to Moscow about a week after the deadly 12-day war between Iran and Israel ended on 24 June.

The talks are part of Israel's broader effort to position Russia as a key player in managing tensions with both Iran and Syria, Kan said, with Moscow's historic presence in the region and its close ties with Tehran making it a strategic potential mediator. 

Russia was previously involved in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal when it helped to oversee the removal of Iran's enriched uranium stockpile under the Obama administration.

Following Israel's strikes in mid-June, Russia's Foreign Ministry publicly condemned the attacks as "categorically unacceptable", warning Tel Aviv that it would bear full responsibility for the consequences.

But it refrained from providing military support to Iran during the conflict, instead showing interest in mediating between the two enemies. 

The ceasefire  also revived Israeli efforts to expand regional "normalisation agreements" with the Abraham Accords. Reports suggested these efforts may now include preliminary, indirect engagement with Syria, though there is no official confirmation.

Alongside the Russia talks, Israel is reportedly working to reach a strategic framework with the United States on Iran's nuclear programme.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to discuss this during a planned meeting with Trump in Washington next week. Israeli officials are said to be seeking "basic red lines" and a coordination mechanism should Iran escalate its nuclear activities.

The backdoor discussions come as Iran officially suspended its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog on Wednesday.

On June 25, a day after a ceasefire took hold, Iranian lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to stop working with the IAEA. State media confirmed on Wednesday that the legislation had now taken effect.

The law aims to "ensure full support for the inherent rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran" under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, with a particular focus on uranium enrichment, according to Iranian media.

Washington, which has been pressing Tehran to resume the negotiations that were interrupted by Israel's resort to military action on June 13, hit out at the Iranian decision.

"We'll use the word unacceptable, that Iran chose to suspend cooperation with the IAEA at a time when it has a window of opportunity to reverse course and choose a path of peace and prosperity," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said.

The spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres said the decision was "obviously concerning".