Russia says ready to help end Iran nuclear standoff, blasts sanctions

Speaking at a conference in Tehran, Zarif said Russia has two “red lines” in its policy toward Iran — that the country should never enjoy normal relations with the world and should also not enter direct confrontation. “That is why Russia supported the Geneva interim agreement. It kept the wound open but prevented conflict,” he said, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Lavrov said earlier this week that the snapback provision — which allows the rapid return of UN sanctions if Iran breaches the agreement — was “largely Zarif’s creation” and a “legal trap” for Tehran.

Zarif said the snapback clause was added during the final stage of nuclear talks as a substitute for a far worse proposal from Russia and France. “Mr Lavrov and the French had suggested a very bad plan on the status of previous UN Security Council resolutions, and we worked hard to replace it,” he said, according to the official IRNA news agency.

He said the final mechanism, later included in the 2015 nuclear deal and endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231, was designed to prevent any single country from using its veto to block or extend sanctions.

Hardliners in Iran have long criticized Zarif for accepting the JCPOA’s snapback mechanism, viewing it as a concession that enabled the reimposition of UN sanctions.

Last month, France, Germany and the United Kingdom triggered the snapback mechanism, restoring UN sanctions on Iran over its nuclear activities after they accused Tehran of blocking inspections and rejecting diplomacy. The move came despite opposition from Russia and China.

Long mistrust

In a leaked 2022 interview, Zarif said Russia had tried to prevent the 2015 deal from being finalized, adding that “Russia made every possible effort in the final week to stop the agreement from being concluded.”

Zarif also accused Moscow this week of disclosing sensitive information about Iran’s military and diplomatic activities, including General Qassem Soleimani’s visit to Moscow and details of Iranian drone supplies to Russia for the war in Ukraine. “They were the ones who made those public,” he said.

Lavrov has said Russia has always supported the nuclear deal and the UN Security Council resolution that endorsed it. He said the final decision on the JCPOA “was made directly by Zarif and Kerry” and that other participants, including Russia, were observers.

The United States withdrew from the deal in 2018 during first President Donald Trump’s administration. In response, Iran gradually reduced its compliance and in 2019 began enriching uranium at higher levels.

The measures respond to Iran’s continued non-compliance with the internationally recognized nuclear accord and will take effect on October 18, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said.

The sanctions restore restrictions on trade and travel, mirroring steps already taken by Britain, France and Germany, which last month reinstated UN penalties over similar breaches.

“This reimposition of UN-mandated sanctions reflects the international community’s deep concerns about Iran’s non-compliance with its nuclear obligations and unjustifiable levels of uranium enrichment activity,” Peters said.

In a confidential report leaked to reporters in September, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran's stock of near-weapons grade uranium had increased almost eight percent before Israel attacked its nuclear facilities on June 13.

The report shows Iran had 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60%, marking a 7.9% increase since the UN nuclear watchdog’s previous report in May.

Iran insists its nuclear program is for civilian use and denies pursuing the development or acquisition of nuclear weapons.

The statement by Peters outlined a range of restrictions including an asset freeze and travel bans on sanctioned persons, import and export bans on specified nuclear and military goods, and an obligation for New Zealanders to exercise vigilance in all dealings with Iran.

New Zealand “has consistently supported diplomatic efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons from any source” and encouraged Tehran to “re-engage in negotiations and resume full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency,” Peters added.

The move aligns Wellington with Western allies that have intensified measures against Iran following recent findings by the IAEA indicating serious safeguards violations and rising uranium enrichment.

New Zealand will introduce a compulsory registration scheme for citizens doing business with Iran from February 1, 2026, Peters said.

“The core issue is neither nuclear energy, nor human rights nor other apparent matters; the real aim is sovereignty and governance, the ancient conflict between tyrants and prophets,” Abdullah Haji-Sadeqi said in a speech in the holy city of Qom.

The remarks, a day after a key foreign policy aide to Khamenei ruled out US demands on reining in Iran's regional military activities and missile capacity, suggest Iran's 86-year-old ultimate decision maker maintains a hardline stance opposing any detente.

“The Leader of the Revolution said the whole dispute is that America says Iran must obey us. We, the Iranian nation, must properly understand this truth,” Haji-Sadeqi said. “If nuclear energy, human rights, or other issues are mentioned, all of these are merely tools to achieve that main goal.”

Trump administration earlier this year gave Iran a 60-day ultimatum to reach a nuclear deal, demanding it end all domestic uranium enrichment. Tehran denies seeking a weapon and sees enrichment as a right.

On June 13, the 61st day since US-Iran talks began, Israel launched a surprise military campaign which killed nuclear scientists along with hundreds of military personnel and civilians.

On June 22, the United States joined the fighting with strikes by B-2 bombers and submarine-launched missiles on three Iranian nuclear sites which US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said "obliterated" the country's nuclear program.

Iran denies seeking a nuclear weapon and has condemned the attacks as a violation of its sovereignty and international law.

Rights groups have criticized Tehran's rights record, as Iran has executed at least 1,172 people this year according to the US-based Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran.

Amnesty International reported that between January and September 2025, Iran executed more than 1,000 people — the highest number in three decades — marking a 75% increase in the first four months alone (343 compared with 195 in 2024).

At least 404 executions have taken place since the June Israel-Iran war, according to the human rights organization Hengaw.

The contents of the veteran theocrat's message were not disclosed and it was not clear if it came in response to the Israeli missive Putin had previously mentioned.

Ali Larijani, the chief of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said on Thursday that he had relayed the message in his meeting with Putin in Moscow.

The two met, according to a statement on Larijani's Telegram account, "to convey the Supreme Leader's message and discuss bilateral issues, as well as economic, regional and international cooperation between Tehran and Moscow."

While on a visit to Tajikistan last week, Putin said Israel had reached out to enlist Moscow's aid in transmitting to Tehran its peaceful intentions.

“We continue our trusted contacts with Israel and are receiving signals from the Israeli leadership asking us to convey to our Iranian friends that Israel is focused on further settlement and is not interested in any form of confrontation,” Putin said, according to Russian state media agency TASS.

"The Iranian nuclear issue can only be resolved through diplomacy and negotiations. We have close contacts with Iranian partners and feel that they are ready to find mutually acceptable solutions and resume constructive cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency," he added.

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed Russia's shuttle diplomacy in an interview broadcast days later on Iranian state TV.

"There was a phone call between Putin and Netanyahu three or four nights ago. The next day, they called our ambassador in Moscow and conveyed to us Netanyahu's message that there would be no more war with our country," he said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday that Russia would help Iran meet its military needs even after European-triggered international sanctions further restricts trade with Tehran.

The comments may signal stepped-up security cooperation between the two heavily-sanctioned powers deeply at odds with Washington and the West.

While Iranian-designed drones have been key to Russia's war effort against Ukraine, Moscow provided little support during the brief summer war.

The two countries have signed a long-term security framework, but Russia’s restraint underscores the limits of its backing.

Earlier this month, leaked Russian defense documents indicated Iran had signed a €6 billion deal to buy 48 Su-35 fighter jets from Moscow, with deliveries expected between 2026 and 2028.

Cécile Kohler and her partner Jacques Paris, detained since 2022, are among several foreign and dual nationals held in Iran in recent years and accused of spying.

"I would like to spare a special thought for our compatriots Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, who have been detained for more than three years in Iran," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux told reporters on Thursday.

"Both were arbitrarily sentenced just the day before yesterday to very long prison terms. The charges against them, whatever they may be, are completely unfounded. We call for their immediate release," he added.

Confavreux’s remarks came after Iran’s judiciary-affiliated Mizan news agency, said on Tuesday that two French nationals described as intelligence operatives were convicted of espionage, collusion and aiding Israeli intelligence.

One received a combined 31-year sentence and the other 32 years.

Iranian authorities did not name the two, but the descriptions appeared to match Kohler and Paris, a French teacher and her partner detained in May 2022 and accused of spying for Israel’s Mossad.

The judiciary said the defendants were arrested in March 2023 and had access to lawyers and contact with family during the proceedings.

In September, France withdrew its case against Iran at the International Court of Justice over the detention of Kohler and Paris.

The move followed a meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in New York and was seen as a possible gesture toward reviving prisoner-exchange talks.

“We have strong prospects of bringing them home in the coming weeks,” French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said last week, without elaborating.

Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi suggested last month that Iran might free the French pair in exchange for Iranian national Mahdieh Esfandiari, who is due to face trial in January for promoting acts of terrorism.

Iran acquitted and freed dual German-French national Lennart Monterlos on charges of spying for Israel during a 12-day conflict in June. The 18-year-old had been bicycling in Iran at the time and has now been returned to France.