Russia rejects reopening Iran deal talks

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov rejected the idea of reopening negotiations on the Iran nuclear deal Friday, insisting US concerns about Tehran's behavior can be addressed outside the agreement. US President Donald Trump has threatened to declare Iran to be in breach of the 2015 deal unless it is expanded to punish Iran for pursuing a ballistic missile program and for sponsoring foreign militant groups. But Lavrov, addressing reporters at the UN General Assembly, said such matters are beyond the scope of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signed between Iran and six world powers, including Moscow and Washington. "It's not only Russia that has said it is necessary to save the JCPOA. That was mentioned by all the European countries that participated in the negotiations," he said. "This program is already finalized and endorsed by a UN Security Council resolution. Opening up this plan for negotiations basically would be disregarding this agreement," he added. "There are different kind of concerns coming from many sides and these concerns should be addressed through the formats that are relevant for that." "Bringing together apples and oranges would be wrong, especially in such complicated issues as the Iran nuclear deal." On October 15, Trump is due to tell the US Congress whether he is ready to re-certify Iran's compliance with the 2015 deal. If he refuses to do so, it could open the door to renewed US sanctions and the collapse of the deal.