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Russia Contemplates Arms Deliveries to Iran Following Nuclear Deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with Iran's President Hassan Rouhani in Ufa, Russia, July 9, 2015. Alexander Nemenov / Reuters

Russia's President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the six powers that reached a deal on curbing Iran's nuclear program made a firm choice in favor of stability and cooperation.

"The world can now breathe a sigh of relief," Putin said in a statement on the Kremlin website.

"Despite attempts to justify scenarios based on force, the negotiators have made a firm choice in favor of stability and cooperation."

Putin added that the deal will help Russian-Iranian civilian nuclear cooperation and will contribute to combating terrorism in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that arms deliveries to Tehran will be possible if approved by the United Nations Security Council.

He also said Russia was counting on the United States carrying out a promise, which he said it had made in 2009, not to deploy missile defense systems in Europe once a nuclear deal was reached with Iran.

Saying arms deliveries would be possible to Iran under certain conditions even before an arms embargo expires, he said in comments broadcast from Vienna by Russian television: "In the next five years deliveries of arms to Iran will be possible, under the conditions of the relevant procedures, notification and verification by the U.N. Security Council."? 

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