According to a report by The Tehran Times, Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the September 14 attacks on Saudi Arabian oil infrastructure and the accusations leveled at Iran, saying there was no proof Iran had any involvement in the attacks.
“We condemn such acts no matter who is behind (them). It is a destructive event that had a toll on the whole global energy market,” Putin told an audience at an NBC-moderated panel.
“But we’re against shirking the blame upon Iran because there is no real proof behind that and yesterday we spoke about that with President (Hassan) Rouhani. His position is that Iran would not assume any responsibility and is in no way related to that act,” he added, NBC reported.
US and European intelligence claims that Iran was involved in the operation, but Putin said these intelligence services “served the foreign policy of the U.S., but they have not come up with any evidence.”
“Let’s not be guided by emotions but by facts,” he added.
“The Russian Federation has been supportive of Iran, wholeheartedly, trying to minimize the negative impacts and risks that are confronting the global energy market,” he added.
The Russian president also described US sanctions on Iran as “detrimental” for the global economy.
When the US president pulled his government out of the nuclear deal, Iran expected European nations to uphold their end of the deal. Europe did not attempt to bypass US sanctions however, which has led Iran to completely back out of the promises it made in the nuclear deal.
Iran says it will only negotiate with the US once Trump lifts sanctions on the country, as per American commitments in the nuclear deal.