Pompeo’s demands of Iran 'nonsense': Russian envoy to IAEA

Russia’s Permanent Representative to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mikhail Ulyanov says Washington’s recently-outlined demands of Iran are nonsensical because they left no chance for clinching any new deal.

"That’s nonsense, nothing can be agreed on this basis," Ulyanov said from Vienna in a video conference on Tuesday.

He pointed to Washington's call for Iran to "stop enrichment and never pursue plutonium reprocessing" and said, "The United States is unable to understand that Iran has sovereign rights, including the right to civilian nuclear power."

The Russian envoy to the IAEA emphasized that the US walked away from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), due to the current US administration’s utter incompetence and misunderstanding of the agreement.

Following a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and the UN nuclear agency's Director General Yukiya Amano in Sochi on May 14, Ulyanov reaffirmed Moscow's readiness to remain committed to the nuclear agreement.

PressTV-Russia's Putin reaffirms commitment to JCPOA

The Russian president reaffirms Moscow's readiness to remain committed to the Iran nuclear deal.

"As far as Iran is concerned, the president reaffirmed Russia’s readiness to continue fulfilling the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action regardless of the United States’ decision to withdraw from it," Ulyanov said.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday that Washington will increase the financial pressure on Iran by imposing the "strongest sanctions in history" on the Islamic Republic if Tehran refuses to change the course of its foreign and domestic policy.

PressTV-US warns Iran of ‘strongest sanctions in history’

The US secretary of state says Washington will impose the strongest sanctions in history against Iran.

Speaking weeks after the United States' pullout from the nuclear agreement Iran signed with major powers in 2015, he laid out 12 tough conditions for any "new deal" with Tehran. The conditions included withdrawal of Iran's military advisors from Syria, who have been helping the country's legitimate government in its anti-terror fight against terrorist outfits, which have been mostly aided and abetted by the US and its Western and regional allies.

Kremlin says up to Tehran to evaluate US demands

Meanwhile, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin believes it is Iran's call to evaluate the conditions that the US secretary of state laid out for any "new deal" with Tehran.

Speaking to reporters, Peskov stressed the importance of implementing the multilateral nuclear agreement despite the US move to withdraw from the deal.

In response to a question about the Kremlin’s analysis of the US demands of Iran, Peskov said, "The question is what is Tehran’s view of these 12 demands. The Kremlin, Tehran and the European countries involved have reaffirmed their commitment to the JCPOA for Iran’s nuclear program."

He added that Russia and the European countries "have many times expressed hope that Tehran will remain within the agreement."

The Kremlin spokesman pointed out that Washington was the only signatory to the nuclear accord that withdrew from it "with all the negative consequences that entails."

He highlighted the significance of Tehran's attitude to Pompeo's conditions, saying, "The deal itself is still there, it only does not involve Washington anymore."

US President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that Washington was walking away from the nuclear agreement, which was reached between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the US, Britain, France, Russia and China - plus Germany.

Trump also said he would reinstate US nuclear sanctions on Iran and impose "the highest level" of economic bans on the Islamic Republic.

Iran has said it would remain in the JCPOA for now, pending negotiations with the other signatories in the coming weeks before making a final decision on its future role in the agreement. Tehran wants the Europeans to give it clear-cut guarantees about fulfilling their obligations if it remains in the accord.

After the US secretary of state demanded broad changes in the course of the Islamic Republic's foreign and domestic policy, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said later on Monday that the United States cannot make decisions for Iran and other independent countries.

PressTV-World never accepts US deciding for all: Rouhani

The Iranian president says the United States cannot make decisions for Iran and other independent countries in the world.

"All world countries want independence in their decisions and perhaps Americans are able to advance their agenda in some places through pressure, but logic does not accept them making decisions for the world," Rouhani said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also took to Twitter, saying the United States was repeating "the same wrong choices" and would obtain the "same ill rewards."

"US diplomacy sham is merely a regression to old habits: imprisoned by delusions & failed policies – dictated by corrupt Special Interest – it repeats the same wrong choices and will thus reap the same ill rewards. Iran, meanwhile, is working with partners for post-US JCPOA solutions," Zarif wrote in his tweet.

Read more:

• US to lose most from JCPOA withdrawal: Leader's aide
• Iran rejects report about proposal for new agreement with major powers
• Europe's political support for nuclear deal not enough: Iran FM
• EU seeks to protect companies affected by US bans over Iran: French minister

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