France, Britain and Germany warned Russia on Saturday that its demands to have its trade guaranteed with Iran risked the collapse of an almost-completed nuclear deal, something Moscow denied days ago.

On Friday, Josep Borrell, the European Union's foreign policy chief, cited "external factors" for a pause. 

"Nobody should seek to exploit JCPOA negotiations to obtain assurances that are separate to the JCPOA," France, Britain and Germany said in a joint statement. "This risks the collapse of the deal."

Last Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov demanded sweeping guarantees that Russian trade with Iran would not be affected by sanctions imposed on Moscow over its "military operation" in Ukraine.

The JCPOA, or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, is the formal name of the 2015 deal that saw Iran limit its uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Negotiators have reached the final stages of 11 months of discussions to restore the deal.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made similar comments, dismissing Russia's demands as "irrelevant." The sanctions on Russia "have nothing to do with the Iran nuclear deal," Blinken said on a CBS talk show.

Russia's envoy to the talks, Mikhail Ulyanov, dismissed suggestions earlier that Moscow was the reason the talks had stalled.

"The conclusion of the deal does not depend on Russia only," he told reporters. "There are other actors who need additional time and who have additional concerns, and they are being discussed."

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said a pause in talks may create momentum for resolving outstanding issues, but he insisted external factors would not affect the will to move ahead with a collective agreement.

Officials said they were hoping the nuclear deal talks would resume in the next days.

(With input from Reuters)

(Cover: File photo of EU delegation in Vienna and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani (R) attending a meeting of the joint commission on negotiations aimed at reviving the Iran nuclear deal in Vienna, Austria, December 9, 2021. /CFP)