Iran Nuclear Deal: Russia criticises Washington's decision to withdraw from deal

World
Europe

02:13

Russia has criticised Washington's decision to withdraw from the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal. Moscow is vowing to honor the deal and continue cooperation with the other signatories and Tehran. Julia Lyubova reports from Moscow.

Moscow says it is disappointed by the decision of the United States to pull out from the Iran nuclear deal. The Russian Foreign Ministry is calling the move a violation of international law.

"We are extremely concerned that the United States is once again acting contrary to the opinion of most other states and exclusively in its own narrow and opportunistic interests, grossly violating the norms of international law."

Moscow says it will honour the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as long as other countries do. And Russia insists it's open to further cooperation with other members of the Iran deal and will continue to actively develop bilateral ties with Tehran.

JULIA LYUBOVA MOSCOW "Moscow says there are no grounds to believe that Iran is on the path to create a nuclear bomb. Moscow has repeatedly said it wants the Iran deal left intact."

Russia is one of the signatories to the deal, along with China, the UK, France and Germany. Moscow sees the deal as one of the greatest achievements of international diplomacy of recent times.

SERGEY STROKAN POLITICAL ANALYST, KOMMERSANT "From the very start Moscow invested and invested heavily its political capital in what is commonly known as the nuclear deal. And the last thing Moscow wants is all that legacy of Russia's diplomacy of the last years to be dumped by moves of US President who seems to listen only to himself."

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Moscow for talks with Vladimir Putin the day after Donald Trump announced the decision to withdraw from the deal. Analysts say Israel is trying to persuade Moscow to take a more pro-Israel approach. JL, CGTN, Moscow.