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No Alternative To Iran Nuclear Deal, Kremlin Says


Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov (file photo)
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov (file photo)

Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman has said that there is no alternative to the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and that the agreement should be observed by all those who signed it.

"Russia unwaveringly calls for keeping the so-called Iran deal viable. We believe that it has no alternative and should be honored by all parties," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on April 23.

The 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which Iran signed with the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France, and Germany, put curbs on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

U.S. President Donald Trump has given the European signatories a May 12 deadline to fix what he calls the "terrible flaws" in the deal, threatening to effectively pull Washington out by refusing to extend waivers on U.S. sanctions if they do not do so.

Peskov also said that Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron, who starts a U.S. visit on April 23 and will meet with Trump, agreed during a phone call that the deal should remain in force.

Macron has been vocally backing the agreement, saying on Fox News on April 22 that it would be better to protect the Iran deal instead of getting rid of it.

The Kremlin said that Putin had no immediate plans to discuss the JCPOA with Trump.

"To my knowledge, no contacts are being planned on the level of the president for now," Peskov said.

Based on reporting by Reuters, TASS, and Interfax

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