Russia says Iran has the right to peaceful nuclear energy

At a briefing with reporters on Friday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow accepts Iran’s repeated statements that it has no intention of acquiring or building nuclear weapons.”

Peskov rejected any force against Iran and stressed the need for diplomacy when asked how Russia would respond if the U.S. or Israel resorted to attack Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.

“We are convinced that the problem of Iran’s nuclear program should be resolved exclusively by peaceful political and diplomatic means, and we believe that everything necessary is available for this. All that is needed is political will,” Peskov added.

“Secondly, Iran, like all other countries, has the right to develop the peaceful atomic sector, peaceful nuclear energy, and is taking important steps in this direction. And all this is happening in strict accordance with international law,” he continued.

The remarks came a day after the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, in response to a question about new nuclear talks with Iran, called for adherence to the multilateral framework of these negotiations.

Maria Zakharova announced her country’s readiness for constructive engagement with all parties on Iran’s nuclear issues, emphasizing that the fate of the 2015 nuclear deal and multilateral efforts cannot be dictated from outside.

Russia has repeatedly called for the revival of the landmark agreement originally signed by Iran and six other world powers and then endorsed by the UN Security Council.

U.S. Resident Donald Trump, during his first term at the White House, unilaterally withdrew his country from the agreement in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran that were lifted under the accord.

Following the U.S.’s exit, the European signatories–Britain, France, and Germany— urged Tehran to stick to its obligations, promising to compensate for any economic harm incurred. Iran waited for an entire year before it began rolling back its nuclear commitments after the Europeans’ failure to deliver on that promise.