MOSCOW 

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday expressed hope that the conflict between Israel and Iran would become "the past."

Speaking at the plenary session of the Eurasian Economic Forum in the Belarusian capital of Minsk, Putin pointed out that Iran is among the countries that concluded a preferential agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

"God willing, the situation in the Middle East is now calming down, and the conflict between Israel and Iran can, thankfully, be considered a thing of the past. This means that relations can be developed with all regional states, including Iran—as I mentioned, we have concluded the relevant agreement with them," he said.

Putin also criticized the Western sanctions against Moscow, including the decision to freeze the Russian assets, describing such actions as "robbery."

"After all, I have a basic law degree, and I said, 'stealing our gold and foreign exchange reserves.' Embezzlement is the secret theft of property. And this is an open one. This is a robbery," he stressed.

To avoid such problems in the future, Russia is focused on further strengthening its own financial payment instruments in collaboration with EAEU members and other "friendly countries."

On June 22, the US dropped six bunker-buster bombs on the Fordo nuclear facility and launched dozens of submarine-based cruise missile attacks on two other sites in Natanz and Isfahan as part of its campaign against Iran’s nuclear program.

The strikes followed Israel's air raids, which began on June 13 and involved 12 days of airstrikes on military, nuclear, and civilian sites across Iran, killing at least 606 people and injuring 5,332, according to Iran's Health Ministry.

The war was halted on Tuesday after a ceasefire was announced by US President Trump.