Iran won't abandon 'strategic partner' Russia, says lawmaker

TEHRAN, Iran

Iran will not abandon its strategic partners "under any circumstances," a senior Iranian lawmaker has said, assuring Russia and China "not to worry."

Jalil Rahimi Jahanabadi, in his remarks on Wednesday, said Russia and China have had good relations with Iran for years and they have supported the Islamic Republic "at the height of the oppressive US sanctions."

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will not abandon its strategic partners under any circumstances, and Russia and China should not worry about this issue," the lawmaker, who is also a member of the parliament's internal security and foreign policy committee, was quoted as saying.

Jahanabadi's remarks came amid Russia's war on Ukraine, which has entered its third week, leaving a trail of death and destruction.

In response to the war, Russia has faced unprecedented economic sanctions from Western countries, including the US.

Last week, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stirred up a hornet's nest when he asked for a written guarantee from the US that the sanctions would not affect Moscow's trade cooperation with Iran.

Many have linked the demand to the Vienna nuclear talks between Iran and the West, suggesting that Moscow may withdraw its support to the talks or trigger the snapback if the US does not ease its sanctions.

The marathon talks in Vienna have entered the final stretch with parties now preparing to iron out some key outstanding issues and announce the rebranded deal.

Jahanabadi, referring to the issue, said tensions between Russia and the West should not affect the talks in Vienna and both sides must refrain from making Vienna talks a "precondition" to solve their problems.

He said the primary objective of the deal is to protect Iran's "national interests and security" and that Iran's Foreign Ministry and the parliament are "sensitive to any issue that affects the rights of the Iranian people."

His comments came days after Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian during a meeting with lawmakers stressed that Iran will "not allow any outside factor" to affect its national interests during the talks, about Russia's demand from the US.

Iran's top diplomat also spoke to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on Monday and said Iran opposes "both war and sanctions," his office said in a statement.

On Wednesday, Russia's envoy to Tehran, Levan Dzhagaryan, addressed a press conference to allay concerns over Russia's demand from the US.

He said Moscow wants the Vienna talks to conclude successfully, but that its interests "are also important."

The issue was raised also in Iranian lead nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani's discussions with top officials during his whirlwind trip to Tehran on Tuesday, according to sources.

Iran has opposed war in Ukraine and called for a peaceful settlement, but it has also blamed the simmering crisis on what it calls "US-led NATO's expansionism."

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last week said the crisis was fueled by "US policies," adding that Iran supports ending the war in the Eastern European country.

Meanwhile, in his statement on Thursday, Iran's top security official said the US "isn't interested in a strong deal that would satisfy both parties," while pointing to what he calls "US approach to Iran's principled demands, coupled with its unreasonable offers and unjustified pressure to hastily reach an agreement."

"Absent US political decision, the talks get knottier by the hour," Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said in a Twitter post.