TEHRAN - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has said that military cooperation between Iran and Russia will not succumb to geopolitical pressure. 

“There are no changes, and cooperation with Iran will continue,” Ryabkov was quoted as saying by Russian state news agency RIA, according to Reuters. “We are independent states and do not succumb to the dictates of the United States and its satellites.”

He made the remarks following press reports that Washington has asked Iran to stop providing drones to Moscow. 

Earlier, the Financial Times alleged that the U.S. was pressuring Iran to stop selling drones to Russia. The allegation comes after the West formally leveled accusations against Iran in this regard. Iran has roundly rejected the accusations, denying any provision of drones to Russia for use in the Ukraine war. 

Ryabkov also said that Russia is seeking to intensify efforts to restore the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in light of the continued contacts between Tehran and Washington regarding the agreement, according to the Arabic service of Russian state news agency Sputnik. 

“Russia is aware of the ongoing contacts between the two sides, including through the mediation of some [Persian] Gulf states,” he said. 

He pointed out that any understandings related to the Iranian nuclear program are considered positive, and that it is of great importance to intensify efforts to restore the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Ryabkov noted, “Iran is ready to resume negotiations in Vienna regarding the nuclear agreement. Moscow and Beijing support this decision, but Western countries take a different position due to indirect considerations related to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.”
The Russian diplomat paid a visit to Tehran earlier this month in the run-up to Iran’s decision to join BRICS, which Russia supported. In Tehran, he met with Ali Bagheri Kani, the deputy foreign minister of Iran for political affairs. 

“The future of the JCPOA really depends on our colleagues in the United States and the European Union. I know that our Iranian friends are definitely ready to return to the original JCPOA,” said Ryabkov at the time. “But for reasons not related to the JCPOA, the Westerners once again abused this situation and tried to pressure Iran to get concessions. It's an unfair but common game that comes as no surprise to us. So, it's their choice, I don't think we'll see a full resumption of JCPOA. I don't know if there are alternatives.”

He asked his counterparts on the other side of the Atlantic to check once again what is in their best interests. “I think they should completely separate themselves from the wrong policies of the former U.S. administration, which unilaterally withdrew from this agreement,” he continued.

Ryabkov said he spoke with Bagheri Kani about the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231. With respect to this resolution, the Russian diplomat said, Westerners are trying to spread very wrong narratives about Iran and Russia and their legal cooperation in various fields.

There was also a discussion about how to stand up to these issues and what needs to be done so that the UN Secretariat does not fall under the control of the Westerners, Ryabkov said.