The Latest: Russia warns against failure of Iran nuke deal

Published January 18, 2018

The Latest on the U.N. Security Council (all times local):

12:15 p.m.

Russia's foreign minister is warning that a failure of the Iran nuclear deal, especially as a result of action by the Trump administration, would send "an alarming message" to North Korea and impact all international agreements.

Sergey Lavrov told the Security Council on Thursday in a clear message to President Donald Trump that "we cannot for the benefit of political agendas of certain countries abandon a genuine achievement of international diplomacy."

Last Friday, Trump kept the Iran agreement alive by extending sanctions waivers. But he warned that the U.S. would pull out in a few months unless "terrible flaws" in the deal are fixed.

Lavrov again pushed a Russian-Chinese "roadmap for an exclusively peaceful settlement" of the North Korea nuclear issue.

He also expressed grave concern at "the growing threat of chemical terrorism in the Middle East, specifically on the territories of Iraq and Syria."

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11:10 a.m.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says the threat from weapons of mass destruction "seems to be gathering force" and is urging expanded diplomatic efforts to tackle the security challenge posed by North Korea's nuclear ambitions.

The U.N. chief told the Security Council on Thursday that the international community must build on the "small signs of hope" from recent contacts between the two Koreas to pursue diplomacy and denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

Guterres said "global anxieties about nuclear weapons are the highest since the Cold War," and warned of "unimaginable consequences" from "the growing risk of military confrontation."

He also expressed concern at the "ebb" in trust on nuclear and other weapons-related issues between the U.S. and Russia, and the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian conflict.

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/world/the-latest-russia-warns-against-failure-of-iran-nuke-deal