Putin: Russia is not a 'fire brigade' which 'rescues everything'
The Russian president also urged Iran not to drop out of the nuclear agreement, but added that there was only so much Russia could do.
By TZVI JOFFRERussian President Vladimir Putin(photo credit: REUTERS/MAXIM SHEMETOV)
Russia is not a "fire brigade" which "rescues everything," Russian President Valdimir Putin said referring to recent tension between the United States and Iran during a press conference with Austrian president Alexander Van der Bellen on Wednesday, according to Al Arabiya.Putin claimed that Iran is "fulfilling all of its obligations," citing the International Atomic Energy Agency. "After the signing of the agreement Iran was and still is the world’s most verifiable and transparent country in this sense."The Russian president also urged Iran not to drop out of the nuclear agreement, but added that there was only so much Russia could do. "We cannot rescue everything that does not fully depend on us. We’ve played our part," Putin said."I have repeatedly said during the talks with our Iranian partners that, to my mind, it would be more expedient for Iran to remain in this agreement at whatever cost," Putin added, according to Radio Farda.Putin placed the blame on the US for the rise in tensions, saying "the Americans withdrew, the agreement is being destroyed, and European countries can do nothing to salvage it and cannot really work with Iran to compensate economic losses," according to Radio Farda."As soon as Iran takes its first reciprocal steps and says that it is leaving, everyone will forget by tomorrow that the US was the initiator of this collapse, Iran will be held responsible, and the global public opinion will be intentionally changed in this direction," Putin said.US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday."We fundamentally don’t seek war with Iran," Pompeo said during the visit, according to the Associated Press. "But we’ve also made clear to the Iranians that if American interests are attacked, we will most certainly respond in an appropriate fashion."Tensions have been rising between the US and Iran recently. The US has sent further military forces to the Middle East, including an aircraft carrier, B-52 bombers and Patriot missiles, in a show of force against what US officials say are Iranian threats to its troops and interests in the region. Iran has denied that they are interested in war.Reuters contributed to this report.
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