Lavrov: US withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal threatens to destabilize Middle East
TASS news agency reports that Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, said the US withdrawal from the Tehran nuclear deal threatens to destabilize the Middle East.
"As for unilateral US sanctions, there's nothing we can do about that. But this is another thing; it cannot concern lifting sanctions introduced by the UN Security Council. This [decision] is not subject to revision," said Lavrov.
According to the Minister, the decision by US President Donald Trump to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan on the Iranian nuclear program contradicts the decision of the UN Security Council member states. "We are seriously concerned about the decision of the US administration to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan, thereby committing a significant violation of Security Council Resolution 2231," RIA Novosti quotes Lavrov as saying.
The diplomat urged the global community to pay close attention to the possible consequences of such a step. "We appreciated the balanced reaction of the Iranian leadership to this decision; as it is necessary to evaluate all the consequences of this step taken by Washington, haste would probably be unproductive here. And we, as well as Germany, France, Britain, China and Iran, still have to undertake this assessment. We are already [in the process] of doing so, [and] we will compare our opinions in the near future," he added.
On May 8, US President Donald Trump announced the US withdrawal from the agreement on the Iranian nuclear program. Trump also announced the return of sanctions against Iran because of its "development of nuclear weapons."