Putin, Merkel Discuss Iran, Call US Sanctions Pressure ‘Pointless’
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a phone conversation stressed the futility of US sanctions pressure against Tehran.
"When discussing Iran, the Russian president emphasized that mounting pressure on Tehran via sanctions was pointless,” the Kremlin's press office said on Wednesday, Sputnik news agency reported.
It added, “He also stressed the importance of efforts to maintain the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program, as approved by UN Security Council Resolution 2231”.
The JCPOA was signed between Iran and the Group 5+1 -- the United States, Britain, France, Russia, and China plus Germany -- in July 2015. Under the deal, Iran was required to limit certain aspects of its nuclear program in exchange for a lifting of sanctions against the country and the ending of the UN arms embargo.
However, the administration of US President Donald Trump unilaterally left the agreement in May 2018, reintroducing sanctions against Tehran.
In opposition to the US policy line on Iran, the Europeans initially pledged commitment to the survival of the JCPOA, but Iran says they failed in practice to shield Tehran's interests in the face of US pressures and its so-called maximum pressure campaign.
The US is now seeking to extend an arms embargo on Iran beyond the October 2020 expiration date set out under the JCPOA.
Iran has taken a swipe at the US for its attempts to trigger a “snapback” of all UN sanctions against the country, arguing Washington is no longer a party to the JCPOA.