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| Russia says new Iran sanctions will not end nuclear dispute |
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 TEHRAN – Russia said on Thursday a vote by the U.S. House of Representatives to tighten sanctions against Iran would not help resolve the dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program, Reuters reported.
Congress passed a bill on Wednesday that will cut Iran’s oil exports to nearly zero, in an attempt to reduce the flow of funds to its nuclear program, which Iran says is solely for peaceful purposes but the West suspects has military links.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said that United Nations Security Council sanctions already in place against Tehran were sufficient. He suggested the U.S. bill, which still has more steps to clear before becoming law, was counterproductive.
“Any additional sanctions are actually aimed at the economic strangulation of Iran, but not at solving the problem of non-proliferation,” Gatilov told Interfax news agency. “What has been done through the Security Council is quite adequate and sufficient.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to push for concessions from Iran on its nuclear program when he meets Rohani in Kyrgyzstan in September. Russia is a veto-weilding permanent member of the UN Security Council and one of six world powers involved in talks on Iran’s nuclear program.
EP/PA
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