Kremlin condemns 'reckless' moves by US that led to Iran decision on nuclear deal

RT
Wed, 08 May 2019 17:55 UTC

© Sergei Karpukhin/AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, shakes hands with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani during a joint news conference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, March 28, 2017.

Tehran's move to scale down implementation of the 2015 multilateral nuclear deal was a direct result of the US' unconsidered political decisions against Iran, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman.

"The situation is serious, it was obviously provoked by decisions made in Washington," Dmitry Peskov told journalists, commenting on Tehran's decision to suspend a part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"President Putin has repeatedly told that such ill-advised voluntarist steps, which lead to unreasonable pressure on Iran, would cause repercussions, we're facing now."

The Kremlin spokesman stressed that Russia is committed to the 2015 nuclear deal and that Russian diplomats would continue working with European partners to ensure "the viability of the agreement."

He added that it's too early yet to speak of possible sanctions against Iran in response to Tehran's recent decision on the JCPOA.

Earlier on Wednesday President Hassan Rouhani announced that Iran will no longer observe the limits on reserves of enriched uranium and heavy water established by the deal, calling it a response to the US' unilateral breakout from the deal exactly a year ago. The withdrawal from the JCPOA, which was one of the election campaign promises of Donald Trump, angered the other parties and strained US ties with the EU signatories.

Tehran promised to take further action unless other parties, particularly the European signatories deliver on their promise to ensure Iran protection from re-imposed American sanctions, particularly in the oil export and banking sectors. The signatories will have 60 days to negotiate solutions with Iran.

Comment: Russia is not the only party concerned about Iran's latest moves:

French Defense Minister Florence Parly told BFM TV on Wednesday that nothing would be worse than Iran withdrawing from the deal, adding that France, Britain and Germany were doing all they could to keep the accord alive. However, she warned that if Tehran does not uphold its part of the deal, it could result in sanctions.

Germany said it regrets the statements made by Iran and urged Tehran not to take any aggressive steps. A Foreign Ministry spokesman added that Berlin is keen to keep the nuclear deal and intends to abide by its commitments, as long as Iran does the same.

Speaking on behalf of the British government, UK junior foreign minister Mark Field warned that there would be consequences if Iran stopped meeting its commitments under the nuclear deal.

He added that the UK remains committed to working on sanctions relief, and called on both Russia and China to pursue this goal as "diplomacy continues." Field said the British government believes the deal is broadly working towards keeping Iran's nuclear program peaceful, and that he hopes to visit the country in the near future.

Meanwhile, Theresa May's spokesman said the prime minister is extremely concerned about Iran's decision, and urges Tehran not to take any escalatory steps. While British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt called the announcement an "unwelcome step".

China also responded to the news on Wednesday, with their Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang saying that the agreement should be fully implemented and that all sides have a responsibility to ensure this happens.

Earlier on Wednesday, Iranian President Rouhani announced on national television that a gradual scale-down of the country's commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal would begin in 60 days, starting with a refusal to dispose of excessive heavy water and enriched uranium. Rouhani also said the move was a reciprocal response to the US' withdrawal from the agreement.

The deal with Iran was signed by the EU and other world leaders to offer Tehran relief from sanctions in exchange for voluntary restrictions of its nuclear industry. Last year, the US broke its commitments under the deal, restored and extended sanctions, and attempted to prevent countries around the world from buying Iran's oil.

And Israel must stick its nose in of course, in the mad idea that Iran is gunning specifically for them:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that Israel will make every effort to prevent the development of nuclear weapons by Iran amid the news that the latter may pull out of some of its commitments under the nuclear deal.

"This morning, on my way here, I heard that Iran intends to pursue its nuclear programme. We will not allow Iran to achieve nuclear weaponry. We will continue to fight those who would kill us", he said.

Israel vowed to continue harassing Iran at every opportunity, as it sees Iran as the biggest obstacle to its dominance in the region:

Israel has long criticized Iran over its nuclear operations, with Netanyahu openly opposing the international deal and previously accusing Europe of appeasing Iran on the issue - evocative language that harks back to European nations' initial failure to confront Nazi Germany.

During a 2018 speech at the United Nations, Netanyahu presented what he considered proof that Iran still sought to obtain nuclear weapons, despite the 2015 agreement. The presentation consisted of an aerial photograph of the Iranian capital, marked with a red arrow pointing to what the Israeli leader said was once a secret warehouse holding nuclear-related material that had since been moved. Iran responded to the presentation by calling it an "arts and crafts show."

© Timothy A. Clary/Agence France-Presse

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the General Assembly at the United Nations in New York September 27, 2018.