Russia's demand for US guarantees may harm nuclear talks, says Iran official
India Today
A senior Iranian official said that Russia's demand for US guarantees that sanctions on Moscow would not harm Russian cooperation with Iran is "not constructive".
Russia's demand for written US guarantees that sanctions on Moscow would not harm Russian cooperation with Iran is "not constructive" for talks between Tehran and global powers to revive a 2015 nuclear deal, a senior Iranian official said on Saturday.
The announcement by Russia, which could torpedo months of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington in Vienna, came shortly after Tehran said it had agreed a roadmap with the U.N. nuclear watchdog to resolve outstanding issues that could help secure the nuclear pact.
"Russians had put this demand on the table (at the Vienna talks) since two days ago. There is an understanding that by changing its position in Vienna talks Russia wants to secure its interests in other places. This move is not constructive for Vienna nuclear talks," said the Iranian official in Tehran, speaking to Reuters.
ALSO READ: Israeli PM Bennett meets Putin in Moscow to discuss Ukraine crisis
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday that the Western sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine had become a stumbling block for the Iran nuclear deal, warning Russian national interests would have to be taken into account.
Lavrov said Russia wanted a written guarantee from the United States that Russia's trade, investment and military-technical cooperation with Iran would not be hindered in any way by the sanctions.
New U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine should not have any impact on a potential revival of the Iran nuclear accord, the U.S. State Department said.
