Russia says minister discussed Iranian nuclear program with Tehran's envoy

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov discussed international efforts to resolve the situation around Iran's nuclear programme with Iranian ambassador Kazem Jalali, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Their meeting took place on Thursday, it said.

Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that Russia has agreed to assist U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration in communicating with Iran on various issues, including on Tehran's nuclear programme and its support for regional anti-U.S. proxies.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that future talks between Russia and the United States would include discussions on Iran's nuclear programme, a subject it said had been "touched upon" in an initial round of U.S.-Russia talks last month.

Trump last month restored his "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran which includes efforts to drive its oil exports down to zero in order to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran denies any such intention.

Russia has deepened its ties with the Islamic Republic since the start of the Ukraine war, and signed a strategic cooperation treaty with Iran in January.