Russia's 'Severe' Concern Over Trump's Remarks on Iran Nuclear Deal

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, stated that his country is 'severely concerned' about the remarks made by the U.S. President regarding the nuclear deal with Iran, and Moscow suspects that the U.S. has violated one of the key arms control treaties. According to Reuters, Lavrov's comments, made in an interview with Russian media and published by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, September 20, reflect the ongoing disagreements between Moscow and Washington on various issues and indicate that recent efforts to improve relations have not been successful. On Tuesday, Donald Trump, in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, described the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers as 'a source of shame for America.' The U.S. President added, 'If this deal is a cover for nuclear activities, the U.S. cannot remain committed to it.' Lavrov, whose country is one of the signatories of the agreement, expressed strong opposition to this stance. The Russian Foreign Minister stated, 'This is extremely concerning. We will defend this document and this agreement, which the entire international community has expressed satisfaction with and has genuinely strengthened regional and international security.' Russia, which shares borders with North Korea, believes that negotiation and diplomacy are the only solutions to the crisis related to that country's missile and nuclear program. Trump's remarks, stating that if the U.S. is forced to defend itself or its allies, it will 'totally destroy' North Korea, have faced opposition from Russia. Lavrov said, 'If you only condemn and threaten, we will drive the countries we are supposed to influence into hostility.' Reuters adds that the Russian Foreign Minister made his strongest criticisms regarding the potential violation of the historic 1987 arms control treaty by the U.S., which prohibits both the U.S. and Russia from deploying ground-launched intermediate-range missiles. Recently, a senior U.S. official accused Russia of violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, but Moscow rejected this accusation. Lavrov noted that Moscow has communicated its concerns to the U.S. in this regard, adding, 'We have suspicions on at least three fronts that the U.S. is developing weapon systems that violate or may violate this treaty.' In recent days, Lavrov has met twice with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in New York.