US withdrawal from Iran deal will destabilise Middle East, says Russian official

The Russian foreign ministry has said that if the United States decertify the Iran nuclear deal it will destabilise security and stability in the Middle East.

Iran and the P5+1 countries (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany) reached an agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme which came into effect in January 2016 and provides for the gradual lifting of sanctions imposed on Iran in return for Tehran’s commitment that it will not use its programme to produce weapons.

The Director of the North America Department at the Russian Foreign Ministry Georgiy Borisenko said yesterday that his country does not understand why the US wants to withdraw from the deal:

“No optimal alternatives have been presented so far,” he told the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“Will anyone benefit from Iran having a nuclear program which is not only peaceful in nature?… It will lead to the further deterioration of the situation in the Middle East and affect global stability,” Borisenko added.

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He explained that if the US withdraws from the deal this could lead to Iran abandoning its obligations under the agreement, especially if Washington reimposes sanctions against Tehran.

The Russian diplomat stressed that Moscow considers the agreement “effective and functional and is in the interest of all parties”.

US President Donald Trump threatened earlier to withdraw from the deal, accusing Tehran of failing to “respect the spirit of the agreement”.