President Vladimir Putin on Thursday refused to discuss the possibility that Israel and the United States would kill Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and said the Iranian people were consolidating around the leadership in Tehran.

"I hear all this, but I don't even want to discuss it." ON POSSIBLE REGIME CHANGE IN IRAN: "You always need to look at whether the goal is achieved or not when starting something. We see that today in Iran,

Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to help mediate an end to the conflict between Israel and Iran, suggesting Moscow could help negotiate a settlement that could allow Tehran to pursue a peaceful atomic program while assuaging Israeli security concerns.