Alliance With Moscow ‘Betrayed’ Iran, Says Leading Ex-MP

A former leading Iranian lawmaker has claimed the alliance between Tehran and Moscow has led to a “betrayal” of the national interest.

Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, who was head of the Iranian parliament’s foreign policy committee, said Iran’s hopes for success in nuclear negotiations had been “crushed under the boots of the Russians”.

He was speaking after Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian admitted in an interview with the Hezbollah-affiliated news channel Al-Mayadeen that the talks had been adversely affected by Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine.

In comments that suggested Russia’s invasion had harmed Iran negotiations, Amir-Abdollahian said: “We had serious negotiations with other parties but at one point, the outcome of our discussions was affected by the atmosphere of the Ukraine war.”

But in response to the foreign minister’s comments, Falahatpisheh said it is too late to confess that the interests of Iran had been sacrificed to Russia.

“I had already warned that the JCPOA nuclear accord and other national interests could be crushed under the boots of the Russians and it finally happened. Unfortunately, more betrayals [from Moscow] are to come,” added Falahatpisheh.

Diplomatic observers believe Russia has exploited the negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme in an attempt to pressure the West and for concessions over Ukraine.

Iranian dissidents have accused the regime in Tehran of ignoring national interests and providing unconditional support to its allies Russia and China in the international arena.

Last week, Ahmad Khorram, former Roads and Transportation Minister under President Mohammad Khatami, criticised Tehran’s policy of giving multiple concessions to Beijing and Moscow.

He said past experience shows that both China and Russia collaborated with the US in banning Iran’s nuclear program and were the first states to back Security Council resolutions against Iran.