US undersecretary of state for armament and international security John Bolton on Tuesday expressed his country's concern towards continuing the Russian-Iranian cooperation in the field of ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons.
Bolton was quoted by the Kuwaiti official news agency (KUNA) as saying at a news conference held in Moscow Tuesday that there were differences in the two countries' stances over the extent of Russia’s participation in the Iranian armament programs.
He expressed hope an agreement is reached to settle the problem of Russian armament to Iran.
Bolton ruled out the formulation of a balanced exchange should Russia abandon the military deals with Iran, saying that Washington is keen that Russia’s policy goes in harmony with the criterion of the countries possessing nuclear weapons and missile technologies.
He said that his talks with the Russian side also tackled the list of countries which have not officially been pinpointed among the "axis of evil". Bolton said that all these countries are geographically close to Russia, stressing the importance of having a joint understanding for security interests among the countries.
Kharrazi Visit to Moscow
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov in a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Kamal Kharrazi on Tuesday expressed sorrow over the lack of coordination on Kharrazi's scheduled visit to Moscow.
The Press and Information Department at Iran's Foreign Ministry said Ivanov underlined the significance of the visit and said a new date will be set for the visit in near future, according to the Iranian official news agency (IRNA).
Kharrazi was due to leave for Moscow Tuesday but the visit was postponed for “technical reasons,” said the agency. (Albawaba.com)
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