Iranian nuclear issue settlement meets Russia’s national interests - Russian diplomat

MOSCOW, August 14. /TASS/. Deterioration of Russia’s relations with the West never influenced their bilateral efforts in mediation of Iran’s controversial nuclear issue settlement, a high-ranking Russian diplomat said on Friday. "Who said that, if some dramatic changes took place leading to deterioration of relations with a number of influential countries, would be the reason for rejecting cooperation in the spheres, which Russia believe to be of the national interest?" Sergey Ryabkov, a Russian deputy foreign minister, said. "The [Russian] national interest is to prevent a new military conflict in the Middle East and to normalize the trade and economic situation around Iran," Ryabkov said. "On top of all, it is in our [Russian] interests that the regime of nuclear non-proliferation is observed." On July 20, the UN Security Council has unanimously adopted the resolution in support of the agreement on Iran’s nuclear program. According to the document, all international sanctions will be lifted from Iran in 10 years if Tehran fulfills all conditions agreed with P5+1 group of international mediators (five permanent members of UN Security Council and Germany) in Vienna. The resolution also envisages easing sanctions against Iran after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) submits a report confirming Tehran’s compliance with the terms of the deal. The UN Security Council also reinforced the mechanism of returning all restrictions in case Iran violates the terms of the agreement. Read more