MOSCOW, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Iran's agreement with Western powers over its nuclear program has made the U.S. missile defense system in Europe unnecessary, a Russian official said Friday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov said Iran's signal that it was potentially ready to end development of nuclear weapons "has completely changed the geopolitical situation," RIA Novosti reported.
"We have always heard from our partners that their reasons for taking steps to build the missile defense system were over concerns about Iran's nuclear program," Meshkov said, speaking to reporters in Athens.
"Now, we see it, those concerns are no longer valid," he added. "Let's see what our partners do."
The United States says the missile defense system is needed to defend NATO allies from attacks by countries such as Iran and North Korea. Russia says the system may undermine its own missile deterrent.
