KEY POINTS
- Russia says US report aimed at “exacerbating tensions”.
- Moscow reiterates diplomatic solution to Iran nuclear crisis.
MOSCOW: Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday dismissed media reports as “defamation” claiming that President Vladimir Putin had urged Iran to accept a “zero enrichment” agreement on its nuclear programme.
US news outlet Axios reported on Saturday, citing three anonymous sources familiar with the matter, that Putin had “encouraged” Iran to accept a deal with the United States that would prevent the Islamic Republic from enriching uranium.
The article “appears to be a new political defamation campaign aimed at exacerbating tensions around Iran’s nuclear programme”, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday.
“One can only guess who ordered the publication, but one of the latest reports titled, ‘Scoop: Putin urges Iran to take zero enrichment nuclear deal with US’, is apparently yet another politicised smear campaign meant to escalate tensions around the Iranian nuclear program,” the ministry said.
“Invariably and repeatedly, we have emphasised the necessity of resolving the crisis concerning Iran’s nuclear programme exclusively through political and diplomatic means, and expressed our willingness to help find mutually acceptable solutions,” the ministry added.
“We call on responsible global media outlets to cite official sources of information, explore topics, and refrain from publishing fake news,” the ministry concluded.
Tehran is suspected by Western countries and Israel of seeking to develop an atomic bomb, which it denies, defending its “non-negotiable” right to develop a civilian nuclear programme for peaceful purposes.
Moscow has defended Tehran’s right to use nuclear technology for civilian purposes.
On June 13, Israel launched an unprecedented attack on Iran, triggering a 12-day war.
The conflict halted negotiations initiated in April between Tehran and Washington to frame Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for lifting economic sanctions against Iran.
On June 22, the United States bombed the underground uranium enrichment site at Fordo, south of Tehran, and nuclear facilities in Isfahan and Natanz. The exact extent of the damage is not known.
