Lavrov asks EU leaders to stick with Iran deal

(13 May 2019) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called on European leaders to stick to the Iranian nuclear deal, during talks in Sochi with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Monday.

Lavrov also told reporters he expected US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to try to "pressure" EU powers into ditching the nuclear agreement.

He said the agreement does nothing to stop Iran from developing missiles or destabilizing the Middle East.

The remarks came a day before Pompeo was due to meet Lavrov in Sochi for talks, scrapping the Moscow leg of his Russia trip for meetings in Brussels where leaders of European countries were discussing the Iranian deal among other things.

Tensions mounted last week when Iran said that signatories to the deal that include several EU nations now have 60 days to come up with a plan to shield his country from US sanctions.

The visit to Sochi will be Pompeo's first to Russia as secretary of state.



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