Iran-Russia energy deals no threat to nuclear talks
The priority for Tehran is a comprehensive nuclear agreement with the P5+1 countries, which includes Russia.
![RUSSIA/ From R-L: Foreign Ministers Sergei Lavrov from Russia, Erlan Idrissov from Kazakhstan and Mohammad Javad Zarif from Iran gather for a family photo session during the Caspian Sea littoral states conference in Moscow, April 22, 2014. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3M69D](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2014/04/RTR3M69D.jpg/RTR3M69D.jpg?h=c2c5b897&itok=3ilLwaL9)
Israel and the United States do not have much cause for concern about reports of two multibillion dollar deals being negotiated between Iran and Russia.
Neither deal is likely to increase Iran's leverage so it could ignore the nuclear negotiations. Nor is it likely that the deals will boost Iran's leverage at the talks. In other words, Iran will most likely have to make the same compromises that it would have made before the negotiations over such deals were announced.