UNITED NATIONS: Russia has warned that the collapse of the Iranian nuclear deal will send an “alarming” message to the world.

Commenting on US President Trump’s threatening tone to withdraw from the deal, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference at the United Nations on Friday that: “We cannot for the benefit of political agendas of certain countries abandon a genuine achievement of international diplomacy.”

Russia is one of the six world powers along with the United States that signed the deal with Iran.

Mr Lavrov dismissed the US concerns as politically-motivated.

In reply to a question, Mr Lavrov said: “We regret that the US aspires to assert its leadership, issuing such strategies and concepts, naming Russia and China as threats in its defence strategy, instead of opting for a constructive dialogue based on international law.

The Russian foreign minister expressed the hope that the US would eventually realise the need to develop relations with Moscow, including in the security sphere.

Commenting on the situation in the Syrian city of Afrin, Mr Lavrov said that Russia had not withdrawn troops from the city.

Later, Mr Lavrov proceeded with the explanation of how the terrorists attacked the Russian military base Hmeymim in Syria on Dec 31.

When asked about the US role in the Middle East, Mr Lavrov said that the US decision to withhold UN funding for Palestinians “undermined in a serious way” efforts to meet needs of refugees.

“This decision… undermines in a serious way the efforts to satisfy the needs of Palestinian refugees in the region,” Mr Lavrov said. “We’ll consult all stakeholders and we’ll see what we can do.”

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2018