Former State Department official Harry Blaney claims that the Iran nuclear agreement could serve as a blueprint for Russia and the United States to make progress in arms control negotiations.



WASHINGTON (Sputnik)�� The Iran nuclear agreement could serve as�a blueprint for�Russia and the United States to�make progress in�arms control negotiations, former State Department official Harry Blaney told Sputnik.
�The Iran deal would be a �win-win� for�the peoples of�both countries [Russia and the United States],� Blaney told Sputnik on�Wednesday. �I would like�to see [Russian President Vladimir] Putin taking this model in�his relations with�America and the West�and make new progress on�US-Russian nuclear reductions.�


Moscow and Washington have a common interest in�the non-proliferation of�nuclear arms, Blaney explained, and the process employed to�finalize the Iran nuclear agreement could help the two countries achieve that common goal.

On Tuesday, Iran and the P5+1 group of�countries�� China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany�� announced a final comprehensive agreement on�Tehran's nuclear program in�exchange for�sanctions relief.

Blaney argued the nuclear agreement with�Tehran also opens up�a wider dialogue for�the United States and Russia to�cooperate with�Iran on�security issues across�the Middle East.
�Not least [of cooperation issues] is seeking a greater reconciliation between�the Sunni and the Shia factions and states and trying for�a new peace and security framework that takes into�consideration the interests of�all parties,� Blaney added.


On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov raised the question of�the validity of�US missile defense systems in�Europe, given the historic nuclear agreement reached with�Iran.

Members of�US President Barack Obama�s administration claim that European missile defense systems are not capable of�countering Russia�s strategic nuclear force.

US-Russian nuclear tensions have appeared to�be on�the rise, with�the US conducting a test-flight of�a dummy atom bomb earlier in�July, and threatening the redeployment of�nuclear missiles on�continental Europe.

By Sputnik