US says Iran policy now focused on keeping weapons out of Russia

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(Bloomberg) – The United States will focus on Iranian arms supplies to Russia and support for protesters in the country, rather than stalled talks to revive an international nuclear deal, Iran’s top envoy has said. the Biden administration.

« Iran is not interested in a deal and we are focused on other things, » US special envoy for Iran Robert Malley said on Saturday. « Right now we can make a difference by trying to deter and disrupt the supply of arms to Russia and by trying to support the fundamental aspirations of the Iranian people. »

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Iran is stepping up its uranium enrichment activities and restricting international surveillance. He was censured at the International Atomic Energy Agency meeting last month for jamming a probe into uranium particles detected at several undeclared sites. Iran demands an end to the IAEA investigation as part of any resumption of the nuclear deal, a condition that Malley and his US allies reject.

« What’s the point? » said Malley to Rome. “Why should we focus on this if Iran comes back with unacceptable demands? At this point, we’re not going to focus on the nuclear deal because we can’t keep going back and then being played.

While contact between the European Union and Iranian officials continues and negotiations are not formally suspended, there have been no talks since late August, Malley said.

The United States now aims to « disrupt, delay, deter and sanction » arms deliveries to Russia from Iran, he said. Supplying missiles or assisting in the construction of military production facilities in Russia « would cross new lines », he said.

While the Kremlin denies using Iranian equipment, it has increasingly relied on Iranian drones as it burns through its own stockpiles to attack Ukraine. Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev met with top Iranian leaders in Tehran last month.