Iran has said it will not allow foreign powers to force its hand and was awaiting clarification from Moscow after a new Russian demand about sanctions linked with Ukraine clouded the prospects of restoring a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
“While standing firm in maintaining our red lines, we won’t allow any foreign factors to impact our national interests” at the talks in Vienna, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told a group of lawmakers on Monday, according to the foreign ministry.
His comments come after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov demanded a written guarantee from the United States that Western sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine will not hinder Moscow from trading and cooperating with Tehran.
Iran’s Tasnim news website quoted Russia’s ambassador to Tehran, Levan Dzhagaryan, as saying there has been a “misunderstanding” about Lavrov’s comments without elaborating further.
It remained to be seen what the last-minute Russian demand will entail for the talks in the Austrian capital that appeared to be very close to the finish line after more than 11 months on Friday, but faced new uncertainty on Saturday when Lavrov made the demand.
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