Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on Friday that significant progress had been made in the talks on the Iran nuclear deal.
"As for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action to resolve the situation around the Iranian nuclear program, indeed the assessments that the parties to the negotiations have laid out over the past month show that progress is significant, very many things have been agreed," the Russian minister said at a press conference.
However, according to him, not everything has been coordinated yet. "And if we talk about what prevents the conclusion of this agreement quickly, the key is the following: if the United States unilaterally withdrew from the agreement itself, thereby violating the UN Security Council resolution in a flagrant manner, the return of the United States to the JCPOA involves the full and unconditional resumption of all obligations that were imposed on the United States both by the JCPOA and Resolution 2231," Lavrov stressed.
The foreign minister also recalled that Democrats led by US President Joe Biden are now in power in Washington. "[Biden] was vice president under the administration of [former US President Barack] Obama, when the US signed everything contained in the JCPOA and the UN Security Council resolution," the Russian minister pointed out.
Imposing new commitments
The Russian foreign minister said the West is trying to use the current situation with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran's nuclear program to impose new obligations on Tehran under the deal.
"Our Western partners in these negotiations are trying in every possible way to use this situation to retroactively change the JCPOA and impose new obligations on Iran," the minister said. - "Moreover, [the commitments] are not only in the context of the JCPOA, but also on issues that have nothing to do with the deal".
In this regard, Lavrov recalled that prior to Washington's withdrawal from the deal, Tehran had fully complied with its obligations. "Even after [the US withdrawal from the JCPOA], Iran continued to fulfill these obligations and only after some time began to temporarily suspend the fulfillment of some of them," he pointed out. - "Iran also said that as soon as the deal was restored in its absolutely full and unbreakable form, it would immediately return to its obligations under that document and under UNSCR 2231."
"In my opinion, it is a very honest approach to restore completely everything that was signed and approved unanimously by the Security Council," Lavrov added.
Other issues
Issues not related to Iran's nuclear program can be discussed separately, but the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action should be launched first, the Russian foreign minister added.
According to him, Moscow is in favor of returning to 100 percent implementation of the JCPOA and UN Security Council Resolution 2231. "Anything beyond that, anything that has nothing to do with Iran's nuclear program, let's discuss separately, additionally," he stressed. - "But first launch the work of the renewed JCPOA."
Lavrov said that additional concerns that the West puts forward to Iran, including its missile program, problems in regional affairs, all this and much more, could be discussed at the forum that the Russian side proposes to convene.
"I mean, promoting the concept of collective security in the Gulf region," he explained. - "It is clear that this should be on the basis of reciprocity and all the concerns that the Arab countries and Iran and other potential participants have should form the agenda for an equal and mutually respectful discussion at this forum."
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Creative Commons
Based on materials from TASS