Europe

Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a call with his US counterpart Joe Biden that relations between the two countries could be severed completely in the event the threatened "unprecedented sanctions" become a reality, Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov told reporters on Friday.

The top Russian negotiator in the Vienna talks has denied reports that Russia and China persuaded Iran to drop some of its demands in the talks.

Moscow sees no reason to accuse Tehran of stalling the Vienna negotiations on the return to the full-fledged implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks with French, German and British foreign ministers over Iran's nuclear program and Russia-Ukraine tensions, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said.

Iran's chief negotiator to the Vienna talks says good progress has been made regarding anti-Tehran sanctions removal during negotiations with the P4+1 group over the past days

Top Iranian nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani says if the parties to the Vienna talks reach an agreement, the US must first lift anti-Iran sanctions and then Tehran, after verifying the sanctions removal, will conduct its nuclear activities in accordance with the nuclear deal, JCPOA.

An independent Irish Member of the European Parliament (MEP) has lashed out at Washington and its allies for supporting militant groups in Middle East. He said Iranian anti-terror commander martyr Lieutenant General Qasem Soleimani played a major role in overcoming Daesh terrorists.

Moscow and Tehran are preparing contacts at the highest level, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Tuesday.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has once again voiced optimism about the ongoing talks with the P4+1 group in Vienna, saying the negotiations are “on a good path”.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says there is no way that Moscow joins NATO, since the West does not want to have rivals comparable in influence at the global stage.

Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri has renewed Tehran’s demand for concrete guarantees for the removal of sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Russian forces have held a military exercise to practice repelling massive air strikes by adversaries. It comes amid a standoff between Moscow and the West over Ukraine's NATO ambitions.

The Iranian negotiating team in Vienna has rejected any “fake deadline” for the talks, a source says, stressing that the outcome hinges on how other parties approach the discussions.

A cargo train linking Pakistan to Iran and Turkey has entered Iranian soil from the eastern border, days after the freight train service was relaunched following a 10-year pause.

Germany's weapons exports reached a record level this year, thanks to the last-minute approval of deals worth nearly €5 billion ($5.6 billion) by then-Chancellor Angela Merkel's administration.

Moscow may choose various responses based on advice from military experts if the US and NATO decline to provide security guarantees, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned.

The Russian military says over 10,000 troops are returning to their permanent bases after a month of training in the region, including in areas near the Ukrainian border.

Moscow believes that the Iran nuclear deal officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is still topical and has no other alternatives, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. She was commenting on statements by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan over alternatives to the landmark agreement.

During the last two rounds of talks between Tehran and world powers in Austria, the Iranian team submitted new written proposals, about 80% of which were included in the existing draft, a European source says.

Iran and Russia are preparing to sign a new strategic partnership agreement. That is according to Zvezda TV Channel affiliated with the Russian Defense Ministry.

Moscow and Beijing are jointly working to develop state-of-the-art weapons as they cooperate in the security area, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.

Hopes for a deal with the United States to limit NATO expansion in Eastern Europe are slim, Russian President says. Vladimir Putin argues that even a signed agreement could be torn up by the American side at a moment’s notice.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has warned his country is ready for a military response if NATO keeps ignoring Moscow’s security concerns.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says security agents have foiled 32 terrorist attacks over an 11-month period this year in the country. He stated Russia’s security forces managed to achieve a decline in the terrorist threat.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh has denied the European troika’s claim that Tehran called for adjourning the Vienna talks.