Russian Foreign Ministry Dismisses Report as
"Politicized Slanderous Propaganda"
There have been reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that Iran, a Russian ally, reach a nuclear agreement with the United States on the condition that it does not enrich uranium.
On July 12 (local time), the US online media outlet Axios reported, citing multiple sources, that "Russia has conveyed to Iran several times in recent weeks that Iran could gain a favorable position in nuclear negotiations with the United States by adopting a 'zero uranium enrichment' stance."
Axios also reported that President Putin expressed his support for Iran abandoning uranium enrichment during phone calls last week with US President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, and that he informed the Israeli government of this position as well.
If this report is true, it would be notable that Russia, a key ally of Iran, has sided with the US on the issue of Iran's uranium enrichment.
However, Iranian media have published reports denying that Russia made such a demand.
According to Reuters, Iran's semi-official news agency Tasnim cited sources saying that President Putin has never conveyed such a message to Iran.
Russia's Foreign Ministry also dismissed Axios's report as "politicized slanderous propaganda," according to TASS news agency.
The Russian Foreign Ministry further pointed out that "global media outlets should report based on official information sources and refrain from spreading fake news."
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