Iran decides not to upset nuclear deal over U.S. sanctions extension

Iran's top nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi leaves a hotel in Vienna, Austria, October 19, 2015. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader

VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran decided not to escalate a stand-off over the extension of U.S. sanctions at a meeting of diplomats overseeing the nuclear deal it reached with world powers in 2015, senior Russian and Iranian diplomats said after the session on Tuesday.

Tehran threatened last month to retaliate against a U.S. Senate vote to extend the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA), saying it violated the landmark agreement reached with six major powers under which the Islamic Republic curbed its disputed nuclear programme in exchange for relief from international sanctions.