Russia will use decreasing tensions around Iran to expand ties with Tehran - deputy foreign minister

MOSCOW, May 27. /TASS/. Russia will use decreasing tensions around Iran to expand ties with Tehran in many spheres, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Friday at the session in the Russian Federation Council. "There are certain problems with return of international companies and financial structures, predominantly from the European Union, to the Iranian market," Ryabkov noted. "Fears remain the business community about possible fines imposed by US for cooperation with Iran." "We think that it is important to use decreasing tensions around Iran, as well as our participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, to give an impetus to expanding partner ties with Tehran in all spheres," the diplomat noted. Agreement on Iran’s nuclear program On 14 July 2015, the P5+1 group of international mediators (five permanent members of UN Security Council - US, UK, Russia, China, France - and Germany) and Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Tehran’s nuclear program. Iran will not produce weapons-grade plutonium and limit its stockpile of uranium enriched to 3.67 percent to 300 kilograms for the next 15 years. Tehran also agreed to modernize its nuclear facilities and use them for exclusively peaceful purposes. Sanctions will be gradually removed from Iran. The arms embargo imposed by UN Security Council will be kept in place for five years, ban for supplying ballistic missile technologies to Iran - for eight years. Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will monitor nuclear facilities in Iran for the next 25 years. If any points of the agreement are violated by Iran, sanctions against the country will be renewed. On 20 July 2015, the corresponding resolution on Iran’s nuclear program agreement was adopted by UN Security Council. Read moreRead more