Russia Expects Iran Deal to Be Finalized After US Assurances

State Dept: Russia can't use Iran deal as 'escape hatch' for sanctions

The latest obstacle to the resumption of the Iran nuclear deal came in the form of US sanctions against Russia. There were substantial concerns that US sanctions on Russia would contradict Russian responsibilities on the Iran deal.

When this first came up earlier this month, the US was dismissive, saying that the two issues are separate and wouldn’t contradict. They weren’t willing at the time to promise that, however, and have accused Russia of trying to use the Iran deal as an “escape hatch” for sanctions.

Ultimately, though, the US did come forward with some guarantees, specifically that they will not sanction Russian participation in Iran nuclear projects, which was the concern in the first place.

This is the assurance that Russia wanted, and FM Sergey Lavrov says that the Iran deal is in the home stretch now, expected to be finished soon. Obviously we’ve heard that before, but there are fewer and fewer obstacles to get in the way of finalization.

Russia is keen to see the deal renewed quickly. The US seems to be on the verge of the deal too, though Republican opposition may be an obstacle to getting the deal through Congress.

In offering sanctions relief to Iran, the US would get Iranian oil back on the global market, and potentially the US market. This is hoped to ease prices after the Russia-Ukraine conflict raised prices.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.