Russian FM spox hopes US behaves rationally after end of anti-Iran arms sanctions

Moscow, Oct 15, IRNA – Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told IRNA on Thursday that she hoped the US would behave rationally towards the end of arms sanctions against Iran which will take place on October 18. Answering a question by IRNA correspondent, she stressed that the US adopted a deceptive attitude towards the issue in the United Nations Security Council. She referred to the support of the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov for the removal of the anti-Iran arms embargo and said Russia insists on the full implementation of the Resolution 2231 and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Earlier, the Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said that all the attempts made by the US to extend arms embargo on Iran have failed and will be fruitless in the future as well. The recent struggles made by the US to prolong the UNSC arms embargo on Iran shows Washington’s weakness, said Ulyanov when commenting whether if the US will be able to stop the sanctions from being removed on October 18. Saying that most of the UNSC members avoided supporting the US on the issue, he added that Russia’s chairmanship has no significance in this regard, but as a UNSC member, Russia will counter the US’ attempts if necessary. In September, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the US President Donald Trump's efforts to hinder the removal of the arms embargo on Iran in October 2020 will bear no results as the resolution proposed to the UN Security Council by the US administration seeking an extension of the arms embargo on Iran was almost unanimously rejected by the member states. Speaking about the recent travel of the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to China, Vaezi said the visit was so fruitful as the two sides attach importance to regional developments. Also about the increase in the price of products in Iran, Vaezi said the country is facing difficult conditions; on one hand, sanctions, and on the other hand, coronavirus pandemic have created problems for the country and the people. Meanwhile, the government makes all-out effort to remove the problems, he stressed. Elsewhere, he talked of the recent visit of Governor of Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Abdolnasser Hemmati to Iraq and said it was a good trip as the two reviewed economic questions. In Baghdad, good agreement achieved on unblocking Iranian foreign assets, Vaezi added. Turning to the issue of conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, the official said Iran believes that conflicts and crises should be solved through dialogue, not through military solutions. He further said Tehran welcomes Moscow's initiative to settle ceasefire in the disputed area. Iran policy always pursues respect for countries' territorial integrity based on borders recognized internationally, he concluded. The dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh started in 1988 and led to military conflict in 1992. Two days ago, Armenian and Azeri foreign ministers through Russia's mediation agreed on a ceasefire but the continuation of conflicts suggests the agreement is fragile.