Video: Putin slams US, Europe over Iran Nuclear deal ‘double standards’
Russian President, Vladimir Putin
Abdullateef Fowewe
Russian President Vladimir Putin has criticised the United States and European nations for their handling of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the landmark Iran nuclear agreement, calling their demands on Iran “nonsense”.
In a video, Putin defended Iran’s compliance, stating, “Iran has been fulfilling all of its obligations under the famous agreement that we just mentioned. That’s it. No claims can be made against Iran.”
He accused the U.S. of unilaterally withdrawing in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump, while Europeans hypocritically insisted Iran keep complying.
“The United States unilaterally decided to withdraw from this agreement, and the Europeans continued to demand from Iran that it fulfill its obligations. I’m sorry, but that’s just nonsense. You know? Iran didn’t pull out of the agreement. The U.S. did,” Putin said.
The Russian leader didn’t hold back, “And the Europeans were saying, yeah, it’s not good that the Americans pulled out, but you Iranians must comply with everything. Why the hell should Iranians do it? Sorry, it sounds a bit rude in Russian.”
The JCPOA, negotiated by Iran and world powers including Russia, curbed Tehran’s nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.
IAEA inspections verified Iran’s adherence until the U.S. exit, after which Iran surpassed enrichment limits by 2021, according to UN reports.
