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US brings to Russia's notice its concern over reports about plans of Moscow and Tehran

Reuters said that Moscow and Tehran were conducting negotiations on the purchase of Iranian oil by Russia in an amount of up to 500,000 barrels a day within the scope of barter operations

WASHINGTON, January 15, 3:12 /ITAR-TASS/. The United States has brought to Russia's notice its serious concern over reports about plans of Moscow and Tehran to conclude a barter agreement on the purchase of Iranian oil, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told journalists at a regual briefing on Tuesday.

Carney said US Secretary of State John Kerry, at talks held in Paris on Monday, had conveyed US concern straight to Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov over reports about such a deal which was ostensibly being prepared.

From Washington's point of view, Carney said, such a deal would not conform to the P5+1 accords with Iran.

The US presidential spokesman emphasized that in the event of conclusion of such an agreement by Russia and Iran, the accord would potentially bring into effect American sanctions against Moscow and Iran.

A report about such a deal was circulated on Friday by Reuters with reference to its own sources. The report said that Moscow and Tehran were conducting negotiations on the purchase of Iranian oil by Russia in an amount of up to 500,000 barrels a day within the scope of barter operations. It is supposed that Russian-made goods will be supplied to Iran in exchange for that. The value of the said deal is ostensibly about $1.5 billion a month.