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Kremlin anticipating Tehran’s assessment of US terms for new nuke deal

The Kremlin spokesman pointed out that Russia and the European countries "have many times expressed hope that Tehran will remain within the agreement"

SOCHI, May 22. /TASS/. The Kremlin is anticipating Tehran’s assessment of the conditions that Washington laid out for a new nuclear deal, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that Moscow believed it is important to implement the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

"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," Peskov said when asked what was the Kremlin’s view of the US demands to Iran.

The Kremlin spokesman pointed out that Russia and the European countries "have many times expressed hope that Tehran will remain within the agreement." "In fact, the US is the only country pulling out of the deal, with all the negative consequences that entails," Peskov said.

"This is why the important question is what Tehran’s attitude to that is because the deal itself is still there, it only does not involve Washington anymore," the Kremlin spokesman noted.

US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said earlier that Washington was ready to resolve issues in relations with Tehran, particularly by making a new agreement instead of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that the US left on May 8. In particular, Pompeo laid out the US administration’s 12 demands for a new nuclear deal with Iran. "Any new agreement will make sure Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon, and will deter the regime’s malign behavior in a way that the JCPOA never could," he said. In addition, the US believes that "Iran must declare to the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] a full account of the prior military dimensions of its nuclear program, and permanently and verifiably abandon such work in perpetuity" and "provide the IAEA with unqualified access to all sites throughout the entire country." Pompeo also said that "Iran must end support to Middle East terrorist groups, including Lebanese Hizballah, Hamas, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad," as well as "the Taliban [outlawed in Russia] and other terrorists in Afghanistan and the region, and cease harboring senior al-Qaida [outlawed in Russia] leaders." US also demands that Tehran end "its military support for the Houthi militia and work towards a peaceful political settlement in Yemen."