Russian prime minister lashes out at US after China meeting
(dpa)
Beijing - By Erin Hale, - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Wednesday said there was "little evidence" that Iran had violated agreements on its nuclear programme, days after the United States imposed a new round of penalties on Tehran.
"If we speak about Iran, as we know, there is no evidence of Iran's violation of the terms of the so-called nuclear deal," he said in remarks carried by state news agency TASS, referring to the landmark 2015 agreement to limit Iran's nuclear programme and let nuclear inspectors into the country.
Under President Donald Trump, the US pulled out of the deal in May and has since reimposed sanctions on Iran, halted in 2015, with the latest round having gone into effect on Monday.
Medvedev's remark was one of several pointed comments made about the US and its use of sanctions following a meeting with Chinese leaders in Beijing on Wednesday.
Medvedev also told reporters that he thought Washington had imposed sanctions as a way to solve domestic problems.
"It is obvious that all sorts of sanctions, talks about sanctions against Iran, sanctions against the Russian Federation, restrictions on supplies and duties against the EU, [and] China are made in order to solve domestic political problems," he said, according to TASS.
The US has had sanctions on Russia since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, and also for Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. This year, Washington extended sanctions to China for buying Russian military aircraft.
Beijing and Washington are also in the midst of a protracted trade war, which has driven Beijing and Moscow closer together.
Medvedev met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, where he was a guest of honour.
The Russian prime minister told reporters on Wednesday that he expects trade between Russia and China to reach 100 billion dollars this year and that it could ultimately hit 200 billion dollars.
Trade between the countries grew by 30 per cent last year to 87 billion dollars, according to Stratfor, a US geopolitical analysis platform.
Under President Donald Trump, the US pulled out of the deal in May and has since reimposed sanctions on Iran, halted in 2015, with the latest round having gone into effect on Monday.
Medvedev's remark was one of several pointed comments made about the US and its use of sanctions following a meeting with Chinese leaders in Beijing on Wednesday.
Medvedev also told reporters that he thought Washington had imposed sanctions as a way to solve domestic problems.
"It is obvious that all sorts of sanctions, talks about sanctions against Iran, sanctions against the Russian Federation, restrictions on supplies and duties against the EU, [and] China are made in order to solve domestic political problems," he said, according to TASS.
The US has had sanctions on Russia since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, and also for Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. This year, Washington extended sanctions to China for buying Russian military aircraft.
Beijing and Washington are also in the midst of a protracted trade war, which has driven Beijing and Moscow closer together.
Medvedev met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, where he was a guest of honour.
The Russian prime minister told reporters on Wednesday that he expects trade between Russia and China to reach 100 billion dollars this year and that it could ultimately hit 200 billion dollars.
Trade between the countries grew by 30 per cent last year to 87 billion dollars, according to Stratfor, a US geopolitical analysis platform.