'Using methods of blatant blackmail and intimidation, the U.S. seeks to force other countries to curtail legitimate trade and economic ties with Iran.'
Top Russian officials have said they hold the United States responsible for the current crisis regarding the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which President Donald Trump unilaterally left last year, spurring mounting international tensions.
"Using methods of blatant blackmail and intimidation, the U.S. seeks to force other countries to curtail legitimate trade and economic ties with Iran, primarily in the oil and banking sectors," Ulyanov said, arguing that"Washington literally pushes Tehran out of the 'nuclear deal' and provokes it to take radical retaliatory steps."
Iran has always maintained that its nuclear program was strictly for peaceful purposes and that it has never sought to produce weapons of mass destruction. The Trump administration and its top Middle Eastern allies Israel and Saudi Arabia have disputed this, claiming Tehran was hiding nuclear plans even as it complied with the deal.
Abbas Araghchi , political deputy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, and Helga Schmid , secretary general of the European Union's External Action Service, with their delegations take part in a meeting of the Joint Commission of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, in Vienna on March 6. The U.S. unilaterally left the deal in May 2018, accusing Iran of using sanctions relief to fund militant groups and develop ballistic missile technology.The U.S.
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