OREANDA-NEWS  Iran and Israel, with the mediation of Russia, secretly agreed not to attack each other. This is reported by The Washington Post (WP), citing sources.

"A few days before the protests in Iran began in late December, Israeli officials notified the Iranian leadership through Russia that they would not launch strikes against Iran unless Israel was attacked first. Iran responded through the Russian channel that it would also refrain from a preemptive strike," the newspaper quoted diplomats and regional officials familiar with the situation as saying.

According to the newspaper, the correspondence between Israel and Iran, as well as Russia's role as a mediator, were unusual, given the hostility between the two Middle Eastern rivals, who fought a 12-day war in June.

However, according to sources, these contacts reflected Israel's desire to avoid being perceived as a factor exacerbating tensions with Iran. It is clarified that although Iranian officials reacted positively to Israel's initiative, they were wary of Israel's intentions. Iran believed that even if the Israeli assurances were sincere, they left open the possibility that the US military might launch an attack on Iran.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called on US President Donald Trump not to repeat Washington's previous mistakes and choose diplomacy instead of war. He noted that peaceful ways of resolving conflicts are much better, and recommended abandoning the war.