Kremlin says it wants Iran to stay in nuclear non-proliferation treaty
Moscow says an Iranian official's remarks on quitting the treaty need clarifying, as Tehran and Washington remain at odds over Hormuz and a nuclear deal
Published
The Kremlin says it hopes Iran remains committed to the non-proliferation treaty and does not want Tehran to withdraw from it. A Kremlin spokesperson said an Iranian official's recent comments about leaving the agreement need clarification.
The remarks come as Iran's nuclear standoff with the West intensifies. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has said Tehran expects a US response on nuclear talks through Qatari mediators by Tuesday, and that Iran and the mediators have discussed ways to meet Iran's demands, with ideas to be passed to Washington.
Tensions over the Strait of Hormuz have also escalated. An IRGC spokesperson says the United States must admit defeat and leave the region, and says Iran's deadline for reopening Hormuz has passed. Ali Larijani ally and parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf has said the region will not sell oil if Iran cannot sell its own, after what he says was an unmet deadline for a US answer.
Russia's position marks a distinct shift from Iran's harder line. By publicly declining to back any Iranian move to exit the non-proliferation treaty, Moscow removes one potential escalation path in the nuclear standoff, even as it avoids taking sides on the underlying dispute. The statement does not touch the Hormuz blockade or oil flows, so the risk premium built into crude prices remains in place, but it is a mildly stabilising signal for the broader nuclear file, since it shows Iran lacks great-power cover for further brinkmanship.