Iran’s foreign minister said on a visit to Moscow he is seeking “assurances” from the backers of the country’s nuclear deal after the US pulled out.
Russia is trying to keep the 2015 accord alive in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s decision, pushing Moscow into rare co-operation with Europe.
“The final aim of these negotiations is to seek assurances that the interests of the Iranian nation will be defended,” Mohammad Javad Zarif said before meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
After the talks, Mr Zarif praised the “excellent co-operation” with Moscow and said Mr Lavrov had promised him to “defend and keep the agreement”.
Mr Zarif later said he was seeking “solutions in order for other countries, in particular those remaining in the agreement, to have relations with Iran without hindrance”.
Mr Lavrov said Russia and Europe had a duty to “jointly defend their legal interests” in terms of the deal.
Mr Zarif’s diplomatic tour took him to Beijing at the weekend and will see him visit Brussels this week, as the international backers of the deal scramble to save it. He also sent a letter to the UN in which he accused the US of a “complete disregard for international law” in leaving the deal.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about efforts to save the accord, after voicing his “deep concern” over Mr Trump’s decision.
Mr Putin yesterday met Yukiya Amano, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, telling him Russia was “ready to continue to uphold the Iran nuclear deal despite the withdrawal of the United States”.
Read the full article at The Australian.