Putin warns US over Iran in annual call-in show
Amid increased
tensions between
Iran and the U.S.,
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the U.S. that a military conflict with
Iran would be “catastrophe” and said that Iran was observing its commitments under the Iran nuclear deal.
Speaking during his annual phone-in event, Putin said that he was concerned by the shooting down of an American drone by Iran this week and worried that the U.S. had no ruled out using military force against Tehran in the ongoing crisis between the two countries.
“I will say it straight, it would be a catastrophe, at a minimum for the region,” Putin said, adding it could lead to a new mass exodus of refugees.
The Russian leader also said that he believed Iran was still complying with its commitments under the Iran nuclear deal agreed with the U.S. under the Obama administration. In the past week, Iran has threatened to increase its enriched uranium stockpile beyond limits set by the deal, in a bid to force European countries to help it manage sanctions re-imposed after the the U.S. withdrew from the agreement.
Russia is also a party to the deal and, like the other European countries, supports its continuation, provided Iran remains compliant.
The comments came as Putin answered dozens of questions during the “Direct Line” show, a marathon telethon where the he takes questions from ordinary people and that has become an annual fixture of Putin’s rule. This year, state television said it had received 1.5 million questions from Russians. The event went on for more than 4 hours.
More:
https://abcnews.go.com/International/putin-warns-us-iran-annual-call-show/story?id=63833096