Senior Russian Lawmaker Says Bolton's Resignation May Benefit US Policy Toward Iran

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th September, 2019) The departure of National Security Adviser John Bolton will benefit rather than harm the US policy toward Iran and boost chances for a potential meeting between the two presidents, senior Russian lawmaker Alexey Pushkov said on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Trump announced that he had asked Bolton to resign over a number of strong disagreements. Later, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that there was a potential for a meeting between Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the UN General Assembly sidelines later in September.

"After Bolton's resignation, a meeting between Trump and Iranian President Rouhani on the UNGA sidelines is more likely, something that Bolton was opposed to. The possibility of such a meeting without any preconditions on the part of the US president has been confirmed by Secretary of State Pompeo.

Bolton's resignation is rather to the benefit than to the detriment of diplomacy," Pushkov, the chairman of the Russian upper house's commission on information policy, tweeted.

Bolton has opposed Trump's efforts to enter negotiations with North Korea and potentially Iran, according to US media reports. The US president, meanwhile, has repeatedly voiced his readiness for talks with the Iranian leadership. He also claims that the maximum sanctions pressure on Tehran aims to alter its conduct, rather than force a regime change.

The 74th UN General Assembly session will open on September 17. The Russian delegation is expected to be headed by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.