US, NATO Searching for Reasons for Missile Defense as Iran 'Threat' Fades

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Washington and Brussels are searching for new reasons to justify the deployment of anti-missile defense systems in Europe after relations with Iran are noticeably improving, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s department of information said in a commentary on its website Friday.

On April 2, Tehran and the P5+1 countries, comprising Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, China, France and Germany agreed on a political framework for a comprehensive agreement aimed at ensuring the peaceful nature of Iranian nuclear energy activities.

“We see that as the Iran’s nuclear program issue is showing noticeable progress, Washington and Brussels are trying to think up new reasons for their anti-missile program.”

On Tuesday, a US State Department official told Sputnik that the United States will continue developing its European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) plans that include missile defense systems placed in Eastern Europe as a response to possible ballistic missile threats from Iran.

Russia has repeatedly expressed concern over the creation of an US anti-ballistic missile system in Eastern Europe, which NATO claims is aimed primarily at countering threats from North Korea and Iran.

In February, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov cited the US-led anti-missile shield project in Eastern Europe as an example of how EU leaders have surrendered the ideal of a transparent European security for the sake of "illusions and convictions of Cold War winners."