Washington, July 02: Iran’s political situation and its nuclear program will be the focus of the US president’s visit to Russia and the G8 summit, says a White House official.
Barack Obama’s visit includes diplomatic talks on the Group of Eight foreign ministers’ recent statement on Iran, said top White House foreign policy aide Denis McDonough.
The G8 statement expressed full respect for Iran’s sovereignty but condemned post-election violence in the country.
The Iranian issue will be “front and center” of the US President’s visits to Moscow and the G8 summit in Italy next week.
The White House aide also said that Obama was “quite gratified” at the role Russia played in the G8 foreign ministers’ statement against Iran.
Russia had previously said that post-election events were Iran’s internal affair. However, along with other G8 members, Moscow urged Tehran to respect fundamental human rights.
The announcement of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s victory in the June 12 election led to opposition rallies in the capital Tehran which turned violent at some stages and resulted in the death of at least 20 people.
Iran has accused Western countries and their media outlets of fueling unrest in the country in the aftermath of the tenth presidential election.
—–Agencies