Russia’s Putin calls for lifting all sanctions against Iran

Iran has been consistently supporting the struggle against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group and eliminating this threat, Lavrov said. The goal an agreement that would lift sanctions in exchange for curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme for at least a decade.

The arms embargo was included in this package of sanctions, Lavrov said.

“Despite speculations by certain media outlets, we have no interest in adding fuel to this fire”, he said at a press briefing in Ufa, in response to a request for comment on the Greece crisis. He did not specify on which issues.

Western countries accuse Iran of seeking the capability to build nuclear weapons, while Tehran says its programme is peaceful.

And the key trade-off contained in the still-fluid 80 pages of agreements and annexes being drafted here is that Iran’s program will be constrained for more than 10 years in return for the lifting of those sanctions around the globe.

US Secretary of State John Kerry will make a statement about the nuclear talks at about 7 p.m. (1700 GMT) on Thursday, a USA official said without providing further details. “And one way or another, something of that nature needs to be achieved”. “But the task of making Iran sit down at the negotiating table was accomplished a long time ago”.

“That tells you about the state of play“, he said.

That issue has been a sticking point at the talks.

Russia, a potential arms supplier, is backing Iran’s demand for the United Nations embargo to be lifted. Tehran says the missile and arms restrictions are unrelated to the nuclear talks and should therefore be terminated if a nuclear agreement is struck.

“We all agreed that the main thing is the quality of the agreement that should ensure the balance of interests” by securing non-proliferation as well as respecting Iran’s rights.

There may also be commercial dimensions to Russia’s support for Iran on missiles and arms trade.

The issue is important politically to both sides.

Exports of military goods and technology from Russian Federation came to more than $15.5 billion (€14bn) in 2014.

It could doom the ultimate pact in Congress, which will take an up-or-down vote (which the president can veto) on the accord.

“Any agreement should be balanced, based on justice and fairness”.

What the vast majority of Iranian-Americans know, and what Congress should ask NIAC, is how lifting the arms embargo meant to repress Iran’s sponsorship of terrorism is in anyway an interest of the United States, the Iranian-American community, or regional stability and security.