Russia, Iran leaders discuss nuclear program ahead of talks with Europeans

The Iranian and Russian presidents discussed Tehran’s nuclear program on Monday as European powers threaten to reimpose sanctions on Tehran over the moribund 2015 deal. Russia’s Vladimir Putin held a phone call with Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian, the Kremlin said Monday, in which the pair “touched on the situation around Iran’s nuclear program”.

It did not elaborate on what the pair discussed.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin

(Photo: alexander shcherbak / AFP)

Britain, France and Germany have threatened to trigger a “snapback mechanism” to reintroduce UN sanctions that were lifted under the agreement unless Iran agrees to curb its uranium enrichment and restore cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) inspectors.

Iran will hold talks with the European trio in Geneva on Tuesday, Iranian state media reported.

The Iranian presidency said Pezeshkian had thanked Putin for supporting Tehran’s “right to enrichment” and said Iran was “not seeking, and will never seek to build nuclear weapons”.

The two countries have bolstered political, military and economic ties during Russia’s military offensive on Ukraine.

Iran has regularly sought to coordinate its position with both Russia and China before key nuclear talks with the United States and Europe during the current stand-off.

Russia’s Kommersant business paper reported Monday that Moscow opposed the idea of “snapback” sanctions. “The threats by Britain, Germany and France to activate the mechanism for reintroducing previously suspended UN sanctions against Iran are a serious destabilising factor,” the paper cited the foreign ministry as telling it in a statement.

Russia is a party to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA, which provided Iran with sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.

The Natanz nuclear facilty in Iran before it was attacked by Israel in June

(Photo: AP)

Tehran disputes the legality of invoking the treaty’s snapback clause, accusing the Europeans of not honouring their own commitments under the accord.