Erdoğan, Putin discuss US withdrawal from nuclear deal over phone
ANKARA
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed the U.S.’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over the phone on May 10.
Erdoğan and Putin agreed that the U.S. decision on the nuclear deal is “wrong” and pointed out that the nuclear deal was a diplomatic success that should be protected, state-run Anadolu Agency quoted sources as saying.
The two leaders also spoke about the recent developments and increasing tension in Syria, Anadolu Agency reported.
Erdoğan also congratulated Putin for officially starting his fourth term as Russia’s president.
Erdoğan talks to Rouhani on US pullout
Erdoğan also spoke to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the phone on May 9, telling his Iranian counterpart that he found the U.S. decision to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran wrong, according to a source in Erdoğan’s office.
He also reportedly told Rouhani that Turkey still wanted the deal to be maintained, after U.S. President Donald Trump on May 8 announced that the United States would pull out from the deal.
On May 9, Erdoğan told CNN International he fears new crises will break out in the Middle East as a result of the U.S. abandoning the Iran deal.
“We don’t need new crises in the region,” Erdoğan said, adding that Trump’s decision is not just going to impact the region, but the entire world.
Erdoğan said Trump’s move would put the entire world economy at stake.
Russia discusses US pullout with Iran
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov and his Iranian counterpart Abbas Arakchi met in Tehran, Moscow said on May 10.
Their meeting focused on the prospects of the Iran nuclear deal after the U.S. withdrew from it, according to a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Both countries confirmed adherence to the agreement, the statement added.
Trump pulls out
On May 8, Trump withdrew the U.S. from the landmark nuclear deal, which was signed in 2015 between Iran and the P5 1 group of nations — the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany.
Acting ahead of a May 12 deadline, Trump opted not to extend sanctions relief on Iran, re-imposing nuclear-related economic penalties on the Islamic republic.
The 2015 deal had placed unprecedented restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in sanctions relief.
Trump had roundly criticized the agreement in 2016 during his electoral campaign, calling it the “worst deal” he had ever seen.
Other members of the P5+1, for their part, say the agreement in its current form represents the best way to reign in Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump’s move has sparked a range of reactions, with some countries welcoming it and others condemning it.