Trump's Moscow mystery: Is Russia key to ending Iran and Ukraine wars?

The Iranian Parliament opened its session with chants of "Death to America" and "Death to Israel".

Iranian leaders have been portraying strength and unity in their war against America. They have refused to budge on the Strait of Hormuz and their conditions for reopening it.

On the other hand, the United States now seems to be getting impatient.

Washington is offering a potential trade-off. Sanctions and maritime pressure could be eased if Tehran agrees to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and halt attacks by Iran-aligned groups. The message was reportedly carried to Tehran by Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, during his visit to Iran.

But the Iranians have seemingly rejected the offer, even as President Donald Trump looks at different options to help end the war.

Even as he confronts Iran, Trump is praising his relationship with Kim Jong Un, an ally of Iran.

In a rare and unprecedented visit, American CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a secret trip to Moscow on Tuesday this week. While the visit has raised several questions, the one big question on everyone's mind is: What is President Donald Trump trying to accomplish?

Is Trump trying to end the war between Russia and Ukraine? Or is he trying to use Russia to help end the war with Iran?

Ratcliffe's visit was not announced in advance. He reportedly met with senior Russian intelligence officials but did not meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The visit assumes significance because it is not just about an American intelligence officer's presence in Russia. The timing of his visit also comes right in between stalled peace talks in both the Russia-Ukraine war and the Iran war. Trump has repeatedly said that he wants to end the Russia-Ukraine war. But that has not happened so far.

At the same time, the United States is fighting a separate and increasingly dangerous conflict with Iran.

So what was it? Russia or Iran that Trump wanted Ratcliffe to speak about?

Russia has close ties with Iran. Moscow could potentially play a role in getting Tehran to stop attacks on American forces and helping negotiate an end to the fighting.

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America's NBC News has reported that Iranian attacks caused significantly more damage to US military sites across West Asia than the Pentagon had initially disclosed. The damage reportedly included aircraft, hangars, warehouses, command facilities, radar and communications equipment.

So essentially, Trump is dealing with two major wars at the same time, and he is stuck in both.

Ratcliffe's secret trip to Moscow could be an attempt to make progress on either conflict, or possibly both.

But remember, there is no public evidence yet that Ratcliffe's visit produced a deal or that Russia has agreed to help end the Iran war.

All that the Kremlin has said is that it was related to "contacts between security services".

The last known direct contact between the two intelligence services was in March last year, when Ratcliffe and Russia's SVR chief Sergei Naryshkin spoke over the phone. They had discussed cooperation between their intelligence services and crisis management.

Even though there is no clear picture yet, what is clear is that the Trump administration is using an unusual channel: America's top intelligence official going directly to Moscow at a moment when Washington is trying to find a way to stop two separate wars.

So, is Trump trying to get Putin to help end the war in Ukraine, help end the war with Iran, or use one conflict to help solve the other?

These are the big questions which remain unanswered at the moment.