MOSCOW, March 12. /TASS/. Russia’s stance will positively affect the potential talks between Iran and the US on Tehran’s nuclear program as Russia is a strategic partner of the Islamic republic, Iran’s political analyst Roohollah Mudabbir told TASS.
"Russia is Iran’s genuine friend and partner. It has always supported Iran. Russian officials have repeatedly stressed that the policy of the US’ maximum pressure on Iran will not benefit anyone. Moscow’s potential mediation in talks between Tehran and Washington will become an extremely favorable step, as Russia will be able to bring the essence of Iran’s interests to the US. Russia will play a constructive role. Hopefully, Iran will be able to take advantage of this potential," he said.
US President Donald Trump "will not manage to change Tehran’s policy on Washington through threats," the expert said. Trump’s statements "on the desire for talks with Iran are misleading in nature, and Iran will rely on its national interests," he noted, adding that "Trump understands that the possible military clash with Iran will have catastrophic consequences for the US and its allies’ forces" in the Middle East.
"Supporters of the West in Iran are against Russia’s mediation," the analyst said, adding that they would prefer the US, France, or Germany to play this role, which he believes would be "a huge mistake." "The UK is putting pressure on Iran on the issue of its nuclear program, and it is extremely unhappy that Russia may play a mediating role in this problem. London realizes that Moscow is aware of Tehran’s interests and will not ignore them. This is why Russia’s mediation in the talks between Iran and the US is the most sensible option of developments," Mudabbir said.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with US bloggers that Moscow would be in favor of resuming the dialogue on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program in the format endorsed by the UN Security Council with the participation of Russia, the US, the UK, France, Germany, China, and Iran. Russia has discussed the situation around the Iranian nuclear deal with the US, keeping contact on the issue with Europeans, he added. The US would like to link a new nuclear deal to the requirement to Iran not to support a number of groups in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, though this option will not work, Lavrov noted.
On March 14, a meeting with the participation of China, Russia, and Iran on the Iranian nuclear issue will be held in Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said earlier.
Trump announced on March 7 that he had sent a message to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program. In response, the Iranian leader stated that the US was only guided by its own interests, which is why Tehran opposed talks with Washington.
Bloomberg reported earlier, citing its sources, that Moscow had shown readiness to help Washington with talks with Tehran. Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stated that Moscow saw the possibility of a peaceful settlement of the situation surrounding Iran’s nuclear program, which is of serious concern for Washington.
On February 4, Trump signed an executive order to reapply maximum pressure on Iran by intensifying Washington’s efforts to reduce Iran’s oil exports. At the same time, the US leader did not rule out a potential meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and said he wanted to make a "great deal" with Tehran.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, was signed by Iran, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (Russia, the United Kingdom, China, the United States, and France) and Germany in 2015 to resolve the crisis surrounding the country’s nuclear program. The United States withdrew from the agreement in 2018 under President Donald Trump and re-imposed all sanctions on Iran that had been lifted under the deal. Russia, China, the US, the UK, Germany, and France resumed talks with Iran in April 2021, aiming to restore the JCPOA, but the negotiations ended without reaching a resolution in 2022.