Republicans in the US Senate may have secured the necessary number of votes to pass a bill proposed by Texas Senator Ted Cruz to curb sanctions waivers that allow Iran and Russia to cooperatively bolster Tehran's nuclear program, the Washington Free Beacon reported on Friday

Russia and China are focusing on the mandatory lifting of US sanctions on projects related to the nuclear deal in Iran, including the reactor in Arak and the facility in Fordow, Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, told reporters on Friday