Russian, Iranian FMs Support Restoring Nuclear Deal to Original Form

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov delivers a speech in Moscow, Russia March 18, 2021. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov delivers a speech in Moscow, Russia March 18, 2021. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS
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Russian, Iranian FMs Support Restoring Nuclear Deal to Original Form

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov delivers a speech in Moscow, Russia March 18, 2021. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov delivers a speech in Moscow, Russia March 18, 2021. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian both expressed support for restoring a 2015 nuclear deal to its original form, the RIA news agency reported on Saturday, citing Russia's foreign ministry.

Under the 2015 deal between Iran and six world powers, Tehran curbed its uranium enrichment program in return for the lifting of US, UN and European Union sanctions.

President Ebrahim Raisi said on Thursday Iran would not back down "in any way" in the defense of its interests, after the sides announced that nuclear talks would resume on Nov. 29.

Raisi, under personal US sanctions over human rights abuses in his past as a judge, said Iran seeks the "lifting of all US sanctions and neutralization of sanctions", sounding an uncompromising tone ahead of the Vienna discussions.



Russia: Hypersonic Missile Strike on Ukraine Was a Warning to 'Reckless' West

Russian President Vladimir Putin makes a televised address, dedicated to a military conflict in Ukraine and in particular to Russia's launch of a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile attack on a military facility in response to recent Ukrainian long-range strikes with Western weapons, in Moscow, Russia November 21, 2024. Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTERS
Russian President Vladimir Putin makes a televised address, dedicated to a military conflict in Ukraine and in particular to Russia's launch of a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile attack on a military facility in response to recent Ukrainian long-range strikes with Western weapons, in Moscow, Russia November 21, 2024. Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTERS
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Russia: Hypersonic Missile Strike on Ukraine Was a Warning to 'Reckless' West

Russian President Vladimir Putin makes a televised address, dedicated to a military conflict in Ukraine and in particular to Russia's launch of a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile attack on a military facility in response to recent Ukrainian long-range strikes with Western weapons, in Moscow, Russia November 21, 2024. Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTERS
Russian President Vladimir Putin makes a televised address, dedicated to a military conflict in Ukraine and in particular to Russia's launch of a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile attack on a military facility in response to recent Ukrainian long-range strikes with Western weapons, in Moscow, Russia November 21, 2024. Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTERS

The Kremlin said on Friday that a strike on Ukraine using a newly developed hypersonic ballistic missile was designed as a message to the West that Moscow will respond to their "reckless" decisions and actions in support of Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was speaking a day after President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had fired the new missile - the Oreshnik or Hazel Tree - at a Ukrainian military facility.
"The main message is that the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries that produce missiles, supply them to Ukraine and subsequently participate in strikes on Russian territory cannot remain without a reaction from the Russian side," Peskov told reporters.
"The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns are not taken into account have been quite clearly outlined,” Reuters quoted him as saying.
Peskov said Russia had not been obliged to warn the United States about the strike, but had informed the US 30 minutes before the launch anyway.
President Vladimir Putin remained open to dialogue, Peskov said, but he said the outgoing administration of US President Joe Biden "prefers to continue down the path of escalation".
Putin said on Thursday that Russia had fired the new missile after Ukraine, with approval from the Biden administration, struck Russia with six US-made ATACMS missiles on Tuesday and with British Storm Shadow cruise missiles and US-made HIMARS on Thursday.
He said this meant that the Ukraine war had now "acquired elements of a global character".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Russia's use of the new missile amounted to "a clear and severe escalation" in the war and called for strong worldwide condemnation.