No external force can affect Iran-Russia ties: Deputy FM

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov says his country’s relations with Iran are not affected by any external influences.

He added that relations between Tehran and Moscow do not depend on external circumstances as the two sides are cooperating with each other on many issues, including the fight against terrorism and the landmark nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, including Russia, in June 2015.

The Russian diplomat added that the two countries would proceed with their cooperation.

“Our position is that Iran is a reliable, stable partner, a near neighbor,” Ryabkov told Sputnik.

“We cooperate with Iran on many issues on various international platforms, including conducting a productive dialogue on the subject of counter-terrorism, which we will continue,” he added.

He emphasized that both Tehran and Moscow would continue working on the implementation of the JCPOA.

The top Russian official’s comments came after Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano on February 14 once again confirmed that Iran is implementing the nuclear agreement.

“Implementation is very important and that requires efforts by all and ... we have a very robust verification tool,” the IAEA chief told reporters on the sidelines of a summit in Dubai.

“There is nothing political that will change our implementation," he added.

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council - the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China plus Germany - started implementing the JCPOA on January 16, 2016.

The deal, which was later enshrined in a legally-binding United Nations Security Council resolution, rolled back nuclear-related sanctions against Iran, which, in turn, put limits on its nuclear program.