In a surprise Russian statement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced today, Saturday, that his country had asked Washington for guarantees that the sanctions aimed at it in light of its military operations in Ukraine would not affect its cooperation with Iran, prior to the renewal of the nuclear deal.
He also added during a press conference, "There are problems on the Russian side… and we have asked our American colleagues to provide written guarantees… that the sanctions will not affect our right to trade, economy, investment and full and full military cooperation with Tehran."
Iran is angry
On the other hand, a senior Iranian official believed that Russia's demand for written promises from Washington that sanctions against Moscow would not harm its cooperation with Iran was "not conducive" to the ongoing talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal.
The Tehran official also added, according to Reuters, "the Russians put this request on the table two days ago, and it does not contribute to the nuclear negotiations."
In addition, he believed that Moscow, at its request, wanted to secure its interests elsewhere, with regard to the Ukrainian issue and the sanctions imposed on it.
Sensitive phase
These sudden developments come when Moscow is in dire straits as a result of the military operation it launched on Ukrainian territory on February 24, which led to unprecedented international alert and painful sanctions on dozens of banks, hundreds of sectors, institutions. And the wealthy Russians close to the Kremlin.
It is also consistent with the assertions of many Western diplomats participating in the Austrian capital's negotiations aimed at reviving the nuclear agreement signed with Tehran, that the talks have reached their final and sensitive stages, and that consensus signs are beginning to emerge.
It is worth noting that the nuclear talks opened in the Austrian capital last April (2021), before being halted last June, with the election of the new Iranian president, Ibrahim Raisi, and a renewal later in November that continues until now.