Former Iranian FM accuses Russia of blocking Iran’s normal ties with the world

Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has accused Russia of trying to prevent Iran from establishing “normal relations with the world.”

Zarif said that Russia has two “red lines”: to block Iran’s normal ties with the international community and to prevent confrontation, according to the London-based media outlet Iran International.

Zarif’s remarks came in response to statements by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

In a briefing, Lavrov noted that the reinstatement of sanctions on Iran was made possible because Zarif agreed to the Snapback mechanism proposed for restoring UN sanctions. Lavrov claimed that Zarif personally coordinated this mechanism with John Kerry and expressed surprise at Iran’s description of the matter.

Zarif responded that the Snapback mechanism was a replacement for a stricter plan proposed by the U.S. and France. He criticised Lavrov’s and the French proposal as a “very bad plan,” adding that significant effort was required to implement an alternative scheme.

By Khagan Isayev