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Lavrov says there's no reason to suspect Russia of violating UN SC resolution on Iran

"In this case, there were no supplies, sale or transfer of warplanes to Iran," says the Russian top diplomat

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

© Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS

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MOSCOW, August 17. /TASS/. There are no reasons to suspect Russia of violating a UN Security Council resolution because of the use of an airfield in Iran, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.

"There are no reasons whatsoever to suspect Russia of violating Resolution 2231," the minister said. "According to this resolution, it is necessary to coordinate with the UN the supply, sale or transfer of certain types of weapons to Iran, including combat aircraft."

Lavrov added that "in this case, there were no supplies, sale or transfer of warplanes to Iran" "These combat aircraft are used by the Russian Aerospace Forces with Iran’s consent for participation in the anti-terrorist operation in Syria at the request of the legitimate Syrian leadership, and Iran is cooperating with it too, also at its request," the minister explained."

"There is nothing to discuss here," the Russian foreign minister went to say. "If someone feels like splitting hairs over the remaining trade and other restrictions against Iran, then we will have to understand how large amounts of cash from the United States got to Iran, why bank payments in US dollars were made, which is strictly prohibited by US legislation. "I think this would distract us from the main task, which is to finally establish coordination in resolving the Syrian crisis," Lavrov emphasized.

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Russia asks US to reread UN resolution on Iran — ministry

Mark Toner, a spokesman for the US Department of State, earlier told reporters that Washington is exploring whether Russia’s use of an Iranian air base to hit extremists in Syria is a violation of a UN Security Council resolution. He noted that "it could very well be a violation of UN Security Council resolution 2231, which ... prohibits the supply, sale or transfer of combat aircraft to Iran unless approved in advance by the UN Security Council."

UN Security Council 2231 was passed unanimously on July 20, 2015. The document approved the deal reached by a group of six world powers (five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) and Iran (the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s nuclear program). The resolution envisages all necessary mechanisms to implement this plan.

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