Lavrov: danger of Iran nuclear deal falling apart

Iran's nuclear deal with world powers is in danger of "falling apart" without the compliance of the United States and the European Union, Russia's foreign minister warned on Monday after meeting with his Iranian counterpart in Moscow.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday, Sergey Lavrov said Russia would demand full compliance from both the US and the EU, in which case Iran would be able to return to fulfilling its obligations in accordance with the deal.

Otherwise the agreement should be considered "no longer existing," he said.

The 2015 deal, brokered between Iran and Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for limits on its nuclear programme.

The US withdrew from the accord last year and imposed sanctions that block Iran from selling crude oil abroad, crippling its economy.

In response to the US sanctions, Iran has pressured the European signatories to find a way to limit the impact on the Iranian economy.

Tehran has slowly inched toward ceasing its own compliance with the terms of the deal.

Last week, for example, the country began new operations at a heavy water nuclear reactor.

Iran's moves have been condemned by Western governments as unwelcome and escalating tensions in the region, while Russia and China have repeatedly blamed the US.