Russia stressed that it plans to stand by its ally Tehran in opposing changes to the Iran nuclear deal amid the looming May 12 deadline for U.S. President Donald Trump to decide whether to reimpose sanctions on the Islamic Republic, a move that could imperil the agreement.
The Trump administration could pull out of the controversial agreement absent some changes to the pact, U.S. officials have said, to the dismay of its allies U.K., France, and Germany, which have suggested they do not intend to leave even if America pulls out.
Moscow indicated it would capitalize to enhance its relationship with Iran if the United States withdraws from the deal reached between Tehran and U.S.-led world powers, including Russia, in July 2015.
The deal is supposed to restrict Iran’s nuclear operations in exchange for relieving the Islamic Republic of crippling economic sanctions, namely those the United States and the United Nations have imposed.
However, Israel argues that the world powers entered into to the deal under false pretenses.
“The deal was made on a completely false pretense,” Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, told reporters this week, echoing Israel. “Iran lied on the front end. They were dishonest actors. So the deal that was made was made on things that weren’t accurate, and we have a big problem with that.”
Vladimir Yermakov, the director general of the Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control at Russia’s Foreign Ministry, claimed the withdrawal of the United States would not necessarily end the pact, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Reuters reported. READ MORE
