Putin, Erdogan stress preservation of Iran nuclear deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday that the preservation of the Iran nuclear deal is of fundamental importance for international and regional security and the global non-proliferation regime.

During a phone call initiated by the Turkish side, Putin and Erdogan confirmed the two countries' commitment to cooperate with other major parties that have contributed to the deal and coordinate steps over the matter, the Kremlin said.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, a landmark agreement signed in 2015 by Iran, Russia, the United States, Britain, China, France and Germany.

The deal should be preserved despite the US decision to withdraw, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier Thursday at a joint press conference with his German counterpart Heiko Maas following their talks in Moscow.

Maas said he plans to hold a meeting next week with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, as well as the foreign ministers of Britain, France and possibly other countries to discuss the issue.