The US airstrike on Syria affected the possibility of organizing informal diplomatic consultations between Washington and Tehran on the Iranian nuclear deal, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told TASS on Monday.
"It is impossible not to pay attention to the fact that the strike in violation of international law on facilities in Syria, which American representatives allegedly had to do with Iranian-backed formations, came at the most responsible moment of work on the idea of organizing such a meeting. There is no doubt that influential forces in Washington have taken steps to disrupt this event," he said.
Ryabkov said Moscow regretted that an informal meeting between the US and participants of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program had not yet been organized.
"We regret that the informal meeting proposed by the European External Action Service between the JCPOA participants and the US is not possible at this stage," he said.
"The events of the last few days, unfortunately, have turned the prospect of this event back to complications and accusations, which are heard against Iran regarding various aspects of its policy and concrete actions," the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister explained.
He added that on Monday, the IAEA Board of Governors session opened in Vienna, where "by all indications, there will be heated discussions". According to Ryabkov, Russia would continue to pursue its policy of increasing the chances of a political and diplomatic solution to the problems arising around the Iranian nuclear program "with a view to preserve the JCPOA and ensure its viability in the future".
Ryabkov stressed that Russia does not break off contacts with any of the partners on the JCPOA, but considers the increase of pressure on Iran by Western countries unacceptable. "It seems to me quite logical the decisions and arguments that our Iranian colleagues give in support of their approach. Unfortunately, some of our other colleagues, including among the remaining countries in the JCPOA, at this stage consider it necessary to increase political pressure on Iran. This is absolutely wrong, especially taking into account the positive and promising results achieved during the recent visit of the IAEA Director-General to Tehran," the Deputy Foreign Minister said.
Contacts between Russia and the United States
According to Ryabkov, representatives of Moscow and Washington held contacts on the Iranian nuclear deal, new discussions are yet to come.
"We have held such contacts, they are still to come," the diplomat said in response to a related question.
Ryabkov earlier told TASS that Moscow and Washington would soon discuss the future of the Iranian nuclear deal.
Iranian Foreign Ministry official representative Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Sunday that the Iranian side does not consider it necessary in the current circumstances to hold a meeting proposed by the EU on the nuclear deal with the participation of the United States. Khatibzadeh added that "there has been no change in Washington's approach at the moment." For its part, Reuters reported on Sunday, citing a White House spokesperson, that US authorities were disappointed with Tehran's rejection of the EU proposal for direct diplomatic contacts with Washington.
The US launched airstrikes near the Syrian-Iraqi border on the facilities of pro-Iranian groups on the night of February 26. The Pentagon said it was in response to recent attacks in Iraq on representatives of the US and the coalition with which they were conducting an operation against the terrorist group Islamic State (banned in Russia).
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation / TASS
Based on materials from TASS