Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna, considers the idea of expanding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program and extending it to Tehran's missile program unrealistic and counterproductive. He said this in an interview with the German newspaper Der Spiegel published on Tuesday.
According to the Russian diplomat, "it was completely unrealistic and counterproductive." "Ultimately, control over the Iranian nuclear program is something other than missile development and the issue of regional security. After the two rounds of negotiations [in Vienna on the JCPOA] were over, my impression was that it was quite clear to all participants: our goal can only be to restore the original agreement," Ulyanov said. "Without any additions or reasoning," the Russian diplomat added.
Ulyanov also noted that "it would be best to complete the negotiations [in Vienna] by May 21," stressing, however, that "no one can predict this precisely." "On May 22, the provisional arrangement between Iran and the IAEA, which provides an acceptable level of verification by the IAEA, expires. In addition, a new Iranian president will be elected in June," he explained. "There is no reasonable alternative to a successful conclusion of the negotiations," the diplomat stressed. "In any case, we see a positive tendency, we are on the right way", he said.
The Russian Permanent Representative also said that at the current stage direct contacts between representatives of American and Iranian delegations in Vienna are unlikely. Nevertheless, he said, the successful completion of the negotiations is also possible without it. "I believe it is possible. After the restoration of the JCPOA and as soon as the US becomes a party again [to the JCPOA], both sides will automatically talk directly to each other because they will meet in regular rounds with the signatory states," Ulyanov explained.
The diplomat also called sabotage, such as the incident at the Natanz nuclear facility, "extremely counterproductive". He said that during the first meeting after the Natanz incident in Vienna, there were "fierce discussions, primarily between Iran and Western European countries." Ulyanov expressed regret over Israel's position on the nuclear deal. He said that Moscow is convinced that this deal is in the interests of Israel and Iran's neighboring countries.
The Russian Permanent Representative in Vienna answered in the affirmative to the question of whether Moscow intends to make sure that Iran does not have access to nuclear weapons under all circumstances.
About the talks in Vienna
The Joint commission has held several face-to-face meetings in Vienna since early April 2021 to discuss the prospect of a possible US return (withdrew from the deal in 2018) to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and how to ensure full, effective implementation of the Iranian nuclear agreement by all parties. Consultation participants have also been working in informal meetings in a variety of formats, including at the expert level. The Commission has since established three working groups: on lifting US sanctions on Iran, on implementing Tehran's nuclear commitments, and on agreeing on a sequence of steps to restore implementation of the agreement.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: viennamission.mid.ru
Based on materials from TASS