Moscow Rejects Sanctions Against Tehran, Warns US of Meddling in Its Affairs

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. REUTERS/Fabrice Coffrini/Pool
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. REUTERS/Fabrice Coffrini/Pool
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Moscow Rejects Sanctions Against Tehran, Warns US of Meddling in Its Affairs

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. REUTERS/Fabrice Coffrini/Pool
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. REUTERS/Fabrice Coffrini/Pool

Russia warned the United States against intervening in Iran and exploiting the situation there to undermine the agreement on Tehran’s nuclear program.

It has also called on the United Nations to condemn the “US interference” in Iran’s domestic affairs and considered the holding of a Security Council session to discuss the situation in the Persian State as “not constructive”.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday, as quoted by TASS news agency: “We warn the US against attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran. What is happening there is an internal affair, which attracts the attention of the international community,” he added.

Commenting on the latest developments in Iran, Ryabkov noted: “Despite numerous attempts to distort the essence of what is going on, I am certain that our neighbor, the country that is friendly to us, will be able to overcome the current difficulties and emerge from the current period as a stronger nation and a reliable partner in solving various problems, including those related to further implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).”

Ryabkov accused the US of intending to exploit the current situation in Iran, in an attempt to undermine the international commitment to Iran’s nuclear deal.

“The current situation when Washington yields to temptation to take advantage of the moment to bring up new questions with regard to the JCPOA testifies to a deliberate attempt to undermine the global community’s commitment to the JCPOA,” the Russian diplomat stated. “That does no credit to our American counterparts.”

He underlined Russia’s firm stance with regards to preserving the nuclear deal, adding that the agreements that have been reached were an important factor in strengthening regional and global stability.

In a separate interview with RIA Novosti, Ryabkov said that his country rejected US threats to expand sanctions against Russia and to impose new sanctions against Iran.

He was replying to remarks by US State Department’s Spokeswoman Heather Nauert, who said that the US was considering sanctions as a possibility of responding to Iranian authorities’ practices against protesters.



Russia Says US Using Taiwan to Stir Crisis in Asia

Participants wave Taiwanese flags during the Kuomintang (KMT) National Congress in Taoyuan on November 24, 2024. (Photo by Yu Chien Huang / AFP)
Participants wave Taiwanese flags during the Kuomintang (KMT) National Congress in Taoyuan on November 24, 2024. (Photo by Yu Chien Huang / AFP)
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Russia Says US Using Taiwan to Stir Crisis in Asia

Participants wave Taiwanese flags during the Kuomintang (KMT) National Congress in Taoyuan on November 24, 2024. (Photo by Yu Chien Huang / AFP)
Participants wave Taiwanese flags during the Kuomintang (KMT) National Congress in Taoyuan on November 24, 2024. (Photo by Yu Chien Huang / AFP)

The United States is using Taiwan to provoke a serious crisis in Asia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko told TASS news agency in remarks published on Sunday, reiterating Moscow's backing of China's stance on Taiwan.
"We see that Washington, in violation of the 'one China' principle that it recognises, is strengthening military-political contacts with Taipei under the slogan of maintaining the 'status quo', and increasing arms supplies," Rudenko told the state news agency.
"The goal of such obvious US interference in the region's affairs is to provoke the PRC (People's Republic of China) and generate a crisis in Asia to suit its own selfish interests."
The report did not cite any specific contacts that Rudenko was referring to.
China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a claim that Taiwan's government rejects. The US is Taiwan's most important international backer and arms supplier, despite the lack of formal diplomatic recognition.
The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Rudenko's remarks outside office hours.
In September, President Joe Biden approved $567 million in military support for Taiwan. Russia responded that it was standing alongside China on Asian issues, including criticism of the US drive to extend its influence and "deliberate attempts" to inflame the situation around Taiwan.
China and Russia declared a "no limits" partnership in February 2022 when President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing shortly before launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, triggering the deadliest land war in Europe since World War Two.
In May this year, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged a "new era" of partnership between the two most powerful rivals of the United States, which they cast as an aggressive Cold War hegemon sowing chaos across the world.