Kremlin welcomes US gestures on salvaging Iran nuclear deal

MOSCOW: Russia on Friday welcomed initial steps taken by the United States to find compromise on the Iran nuclear deal, the historic accord brokered in 2015 that collapsed under US President Donald Trump.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters it was a “good thing” that the Washington was no longer calling for international sanctions on Iran, but said ultimately more work was needed.

“It is the restoration of the JCPOA regime that is important,” he said, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as the Iran deal is formally known. “Sanctions pressure did not help the implementation of the agreement and brought the situation to a dead end,” Peskov added. The deal brokered in 2015 by then president Barack Obama saw Iran drastically scale back its nuclear programme in exchange for promises of economic relief.