“Economic terror has been unleashed against the legitimate government of Venezuela. The legitimate government’s property was persistently transferred to the self-proclaimed acting president. The capabilities of the financial, oil and mining sectors have been seriously limited by the introduction of sanctions,” Ryabkov noted.

According to the Russian diplomat, the Venezuelan economy suffered losses amounting to over $100 billion as a result of those actions. However, the majority of the international community members chose not to notice them, he added.

Ryabkov reiterated that the Venezuelan government’s legitimacy was “out of question.”

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said in his inaugural speech that outside forces were seeking to topple the legitimate governments of Venezuela, as well as of Syria, Iran, North Korea and Cuba.

“Venezuela – just like Cuba, Iran, Syria, Nicaragua and North Korea – has fallen victim of interventionism, of foreigners who are seeking a transition of power to governments that serve their interests,” he said.

Arreaza added that Venezuela has always spoken in favor of the peoples’ right to peace. “Our nations have the right to determine their future without outside pressure,” he said.

Venezuela has been going through an acute social-economic crisis in the last several years, accompanied by hyperinflation and currency devaluation. This year the situation has been further complicated by the escalation of the confrontation between the government and the opposition.

The political situation in Venezuela escalated after Juan Guaido, Venezuelan opposition leader and parliament speaker, whose appointment to that position had been cancelled by the country’s Supreme Court, declared himself interim president at a rally in the country’s capital of Caracas on January 23.

The United States, Lima Group members (excluding Mexico), the Organization of American States and some European countries recognized him as the interim president. Subsequently, Venezuela’s incumbent President Nicolas Maduro blasted these actions as an attempted coup and said he was cutting diplomatic ties with the United States. Russia, Belarus, Bolivia, Iran, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Syria and Turkey voiced support for Maduro.

The post US policy towards Venezuela violates international norms: Ryabkov appeared first on Iran News Daily.

“Iran is honoring all its obligations and even today, it technically remains within the framework set by the JCPOA. Russia consistently stresses the necessity of a responsible approach to the implementation of obligations by all parties to the nuclear deal.”

He also noted the statements of various US officials who claim that Iran threatens the comprehensive agreements on the Iranian nuclear deal, the norms of international law and “even nearly attempts nuclear blackmail.”

“The fact that Washington has remembered the existence of the norms of international law is a welcome development. Now we need to see who exactly is in violation of them. It is clear to us that the US colleagues themselves have dealt a devastating blow to one of the most significant diplomatic achievements, renouncing all their obligations under the INF [Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces] Treaty in May 2018 in violation of the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and Article 25 of the UN Charter, which states that all member states must comply with the decisions of the Security Council,” the deputy foreign minister said. “By doing this, the US has placed itself outside of the international community, virtually ignoring international law, which they are so keen on protecting right now,” he added.

Threat of US sanctions

Washington’s threats of sanctions regarding the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear deal contradict logic, Ryabkov added.

“In accordance with international law, the US must immediately return to the implementation of all obligations under the JCPOA and the UN Security Council Resolution 2231, lifting all sanctions against Iran restored since May 2018 and ceasing to create obstacles to the systematic implementation of agreements by all other states,” the senior diplomat stressed. “The threats by the US to introduce sanctions in response to the implementation of the UN Security Council decisions are obviously lacking common sense.” “We urge the American colleagues to consider which country’s actions can be defined as ‘blackmail’,” he continued.

Avoiding confrontation

Russia calls on all sides of the JCPOA to refrain from taking steps aimed at complicating the situation further, the Russian diplomat stated.

“We call on all involved parties, including Iran, to refrain from steps aimed at complicating the situation further and to provide a possibility to find the solutions that will help stabilize the implementation of the JCPOA,” Ryabkov stressed. “There is no need to test the agreements. The world will not become a safer place if the JCPOA ceases to exist, and the situation in the region where tankers had caught fire many times before, will deteriorate even further.”

“We call on the entire international community, first and foremost, the remaining members of the JCPOA, including the ‘European Three’ (UK, Germany, France) and Iran to demonstrate political far-sightedness and will to achieve the goals that these comprehensive agreements had been signed with. We need to act. Without the INF, the situation in the world will definitely become more dangerous,” the senior diplomat concluded.

The post Russia says US must ‘immediately’ return to JCPOA appeared first on Iran News Daily.

“We can see the severe pressure on the part of the United States toward Iran and the attempts to blackmail this country,” he said, according to a translation of the interview by Press TV. “At the same time, there is no positive agenda and the United States is not suggesting any alternative options. It only declares, including on the high level, that it is open for dialogue. But it is not a basis for real talks.”

If the U.S. was willing to hold talks with Iran, it should make suggestions on what it was ready to offer Iran in exchange for the discussions, he added.

Last year, U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled his country out of the 2015 nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and unleashed the “toughest ever” sanctions against Tehran, notably targeting its key oil exports.

Recently, Washington beefed up its military presence in the Persian Gulf, citing alleged and unspecified threats posed by the Islamic Republic to American troops and interests.

The post U.S. pressure campaign meant to blackmail Iran: Russia appeared first on Iran News Daily.

“What we expect them [to do] is to respect the JCPOA, to compensate Iran’s losses […] and to respect Iran’s rights in the deal”, the deputy minister said.

He, elsewhere, denied accusations of Tehran being involved in the attack on the UAE-based oil tankers — allegations that were earlier leveled by the US national security adviser. He called the claims “ludicrous” and accused National Security Adviser John Bolton and “other warmongers” of plotting against Iran.

He further stated that certain people are trying to push the US into a war with Iran in a bid to attain their goals. The deputy minister noted that Iran is ready to defend itself against a war waged by the US, but would prefer to begin a dialogue instead.

“We are fully prepared for both scenarios […] War would be a disaster for everybody in the region. We hope that wisdom will prevail in Washington, that they do not make this biggest mistake in the region ever. But we are fully prepared for that scenario,” Araghchi said.

The deputy minister also reiterated President Donald Trump’s statement that the US does not want war with Iran, stating that Washington must first take steps to prove this claim.

“But what matters for us are actions, not words […] We expect them to take actions, words are not enough”, he said.

Meanwhile, Araghchi’s Russian counterpart, Sergey Ryabkov, is now in Tehran to talk over a host of issues, including the 2015 nuclear deal in the wake of US withdrawal.

In the joint meeting of the two deputy minister on Wednesday, also attended by a high-ranking Russian delegation and a number of Iranian officials, the two sides reviewed the latest bilateral and international developments, JCPOA and Tehran’s reduction of some obligations to the pact in the face of Washington’s pressures.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has announced it is closely following developments in the implementation of the deal, which was signed between Iran and the 5+1.

Russia has also called for holding a joint summit to deal with the matter.

The post Tehran has no plans to hold talks with US: Araghchi appeared first on Iran News Daily.

 The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has said that his country supports Iran’s missile program, calling the criticisms against the Iranian missile nonsense.

The post Starting negotiations with Iran under US pressures impossible: Russia appeared first on Iran News Daily.

“I totally agree that Iran and Russia are reliable partners,” TASS quoted Araqchi as saying during a meeting in Moscow with Sergei Ryabkov, the Russian deputy foreign minister.

“Our cooperation concerning the regional and international agenda has been very honest, we have similar positions on many regional and global issues,” Araqchi remarked.

Araqchi also thanked Russia for its position on the 2015 nuclear deal – the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – after the U.S. exited the multilateral agreement.

“We are very pleased to see Moscow maintain a logical, just and balanced position. I would like to thank Russia for its position on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” he said.

The Iranian deputy foreign minister noted that the current crisis surrounding the nuclear deal had stemmed from Washington’s unilateral actions. He expressed hope that other parties to the deal would continue implementing the terms of the agreement.

Russia, China, and the European Union trio – Germany, France and Britain – are the remaining parties of the agreement.

“We hope that the JCPOA’s European parties will remain committed to their obligations,” Araqchi insisted.

For his part, Ryabkov said that Russia makes efforts to boost cooperation with Iran and support the country against the U.S. sanctions.

President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. unilaterally from the nuclear deal in May and ordered sanctions against Iran. The first round of sanctions went into force on August 6 and the second round, which targets Iran’s oil exports and banks, were snapped back on November 4.

The post Diplomat calls Iran, Russia reliable partners appeared first on Iran News Daily.