"We support nothing of what is being done against Iran. We're discussing this with our partners, trying to persuade them that it is necessary to resort to measures that don't destroy the positivity, the hard work of the past years, and don't create anything long-term," Putin said while addressing a meeting with heads of international news agencies on the sideline of St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Thursday.
According to Press TV, the Russian president added that Iran has fully complied with its commitments under the nuclear accord, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed Iran’s commitments in multiple reports.
"From the standpoint of control over its nuclear program, Iran is today the most verifiable country in the world. These are not hollow words; this is what the IAEA management has been talking about," Putin added.
He pointed to several inspections made by the UN nuclear agency to Iran's nuclear sites and said the IAEA has not found "a single violation in terms of the arrangements reached in the framework of the JCPOA."
Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China -- plus Germany signed the nuclear agreement on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016.
Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.
The US reimposed sanctions on Tehran in November after unilaterally pulling out of the accord in May 2018.
A year later, Iran announced that it would suspend the implementation of some of its commitments under the deal, announcing that it would stop exporting excess uranium and heavy water, setting a 60-day deadline for the five remaining parties to the deal to take practical measures towards ensuring its interests in the face of the American sanctions.
MNA/PR