15 March 2022; MEMO: Russia got written guarantees under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that will protect its cooperation with Iran against the recent US and EU sanctions, noting that the guarantees are included in the text of the agreement, Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, said on Tuesday, Anadolu News Agency reports.
Speaking at a news conference in Moscow after a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Lavrov said Russia causes no obstacles for the restoration of the deal.
"We got written guarantees, they are included in the text of the agreement of the restoration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iran nuclear program and in those texts, a reliable protection is provided to all projects and directions of activities falling under the JCPOA," said the Minister.
According to Lavrov, the protection extends to all companies and individuals taking part in the joint projects with Iran, including the construction of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant.
Lavrov said the information that Russia is trying to hinder achieving the agreement on the Iran nuclear deal is "a lie", adding that the document drafted in Vienna needs to be approved by "some capitals" to come into force.
For his part, Amir-Abdollahian said Moscow does not impede the restoration of the JCPOA and noted that "there is no connection between the Ukrainian events and the talks (on the JCPOA restoration) in Vienna."
"If we agree with the American side about some issues that are red lines for the Islamic Republic of Iran, then a final agreement will be achieved at the talks in Vienna."
"Russia has been playing a very important and constructive role at the talks from the very beginning and Russia will stand with the Islamic Republic of Iran till the end to achieve durable, stable agreements, and will support Iran in achieving this agreement," the Minister said.
Amir-Abdollahian expressed hope that the US "will abandon its excessive demands", especially when the restoration of the deal is so close.
About the Russia-Ukraine war, Amir-Abdollahian said Tehran "understands the roots" of the conflict but war is not a solution to any problem.
Iran, which has been experiencing "illegal unilateral sanctions" for years, opposes the sanctions against Russia.
The top Iranian diplomat said Iran supports peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, and expressed hope that the negotiations will lead to a cease-fire.
The Iran nuclear deal was signed in 2015 by Iran, the US, China, Russia, France, the UK, Germany and the EU.
Under the agreement, Tehran committed to limit its nuclear activity to civilian purposes and, in return, world powers agreed to drop their economic sanctions against Iran.
The US, under former President Donald Trump, unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to stop complying with the nuclear deal.
