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File photo of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (2nd from right) with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Russia [PPIO]
“There are and there may be no grounds for undermining the JCPOA. The plan fully proved its efficiency. It effectively copes with all the goals set for it. Iran strictly sticks to its commitments, which is regularly confirmed by the IAEA. We are fully supporting and welcoming that,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
On July 14, 2015, the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States), the European Union and Iran reached a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s long-term nuclear programme.
Trump on Tuesday said the “Iran deal is defective at its core” and that “any nation that helps Iran in its quest for nuclear weapons could be strongly sanctioned”.
Meanwhile, Russia had said it would back further cooperation within the parties that brokered the Iran deal.
Russia is one of Iran’s oldest allies. Both countries support Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and have provided support to his forces to defeat Islamist rebels in Syrian cities.
On Tuesday, Russia reiterated it’s support for dialogue and cooperation with Tehran.
Moscow’s stance was shared by European leaders as they pledged to keep the accord with Tehran alive.
“Together, we emphasize our continuing commitment to the JCPOA. This agreement remains important for our shared security,” the leaders of Britain, France and Germany said in a joint statement.
Germany has also said the US exit would not impact their commitment.
“We will try to keep alive this important agreement, which ensures the Middle East and the world as a whole are safer,” said Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in a televised broadcast.
This is not the first time the Trump administration has violated an international agreement and a UN resolution, breaking decisively with other world powers.
President Donald Trump announced his decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement in June last year, saying the deal would have adversely hit the US economy and killed American jobs.
TBP and Agencies
