Iran locked into ‘vicious cycle’ over protests and arming Russia, says US

Washington focusing on protests and Tehran's support of Russia in Ukraine rather than nuclear talks, envoy says

Iran's leadership has locked itself into a vicious cycle" that has cut it off from its own people and the international community, the US special envoy has said, adding that Washington was more focused on Tehran's decision to arm Russia in Ukraine and the repression of its internal protests than on talks to revive the nuclear deal.

The more Iran represses, the more there will be sanctions; the more there are sanctions, the more Iran feels isolated," Rob Malley, the US special envoy on Iran, told a conference in Rome.