Voice of America
16 May 2019, 01:07 GMT+10
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Iran should stay in the nuclear agreement and should not take the first step to withdraw.
Speaking at a press conference with Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen on Wednesday, May 15, Putin said if Iran takes the first step to leave the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), everyone will blame it for the collapse of the agreement.
'I have repeatedly said during the talks with our Iranian partners that, to my mind, it would be more expedient for Iran to remain in this agreement at whatever cost,' he said.
'The Americans withdrew,' he added. 'The agreement is being destroyed, and European countries can do nothing to salvage it and cannot really work with Iran to compensate economic losses.'
However, Putin said 'as soon as Iran takes its first reciprocal steps and says that it is leaving, everyone will forget by tomorrow that the U.S. was the initiator of this collapse. Iran will be held responsible, and the global public opinion will be intentionally changed in this direction.'
Russia and China are Iran's diplomatic - and to an extent - economic allies. Russia and Iran also have been military allies in Syria, fighting side by side to help Bashar al-Assad to survive a nationwide insurgency.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Putin a day earlier. They discussed a host of issues, including topics related to Iran. But it is not clear to what extent there was agreement between them.
Get a daily dose of Dublin News news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Dublin News.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks were volatile again Friday as President Donald Trump blasted Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell for...
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The Europesn Central Bank has slashed official interest rates in the wake of the financial crisis triggered by...
BISMARCK, North Dakota: Federal officials have ordered the company running the Keystone Pipeline to take several safety steps after...
GANAPAVARAM, India/GUAYAQUIL, Ecuador: India's shrimp exporters are facing mounting uncertainty as new U.S. tariffs threaten to disrupt...
NEW YORK, New York - Technology stocks fell sharply Wednesday, dragging down the industrial sector in its wake, as Donald Trump's trade...
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE/TOKYO: U.S. President Donald Trump reaffirmed his opposition to a foreign takeover of U.S. Steel, casting renewed...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Residential burglaries have dropped by 75 per cent in Ireland over the past decade, according to new Garda figures,...
DUBLIN, Ireland: New figures show that just over 3,000 applications were made between January and March this year — a drop of more...
BERLIN, Germany: Talks between the EU and China could pave the way for a shift from tariffs to minimum price agreements on Chinese...
BEIJING, China: As tensions with Washington deepen, Chinese President Xi Jinping is turning his focus to Southeast Asia, with a diplomatic...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Tanaiste Simon Harris has urged continued efforts to expand global markets for Irish goods, saying the temporary pause...
DUBLIN, Ireland: With tariffs from the United States beginning to bite, Irish businesses are already feeling the pressure, prompting...