Iranian and Russian foreign ministers discuss nuclear deal

The foreign ministers of Russia and Iran met in Moscow on Wednesday for talks on the latest attempts to revive the Iran nuclear deal, as well as other international issues.

Sergei Lavrov and Tehran's top diplomat Hossein Amir-Abdollahian discussed Iran's nuclear programme as well as events in Syria, Afghanistan and the Caucasus, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.

The talks also covered the recent rapprochement between Tehran and Riyadh, which want to resume bilateral relations after a seven-year freeze.

Iran pledged in Vienna in 2015 to limit its nuclear programme, in exchange for which UN sanctions on the country were lifted. After the United States pulled out of the agreement in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump, Tehran gradually reversed the restrictions. Since May 2022, talks involving Russia and other countries have not made significant progress.

In the face of sanctions, Iran and Russia meanwhile expanded their economic and military cooperation. According to Western officials, Iran is also supporting its partner with supplies of so-called kamikaze drones in the war in Ukraine.

Tehran denies this, although Russia's TASS news agency quoted Amir-Abdollahian as saying that Iran sent a small number of drones to Russia in November 2022, three months before the start of hostilities in Ukraine. Moscow in turn says that only Russian-made drones are in service there.

The cooperation in defence "is not directed against any third country," the Iranian foreign minister told the IRNA news agency upon arriving in Moscow.