Iran FM: JCPOA revival talks on agenda of meeting Russia’s Lavrov, window of talks open

Upon arrival in the Russian capital, Amirabdollahian said the window of negotiations on reviving the multilateral deal is still open and he would discuss the matter with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.

He praised Russia’s effective role in the latest round of negotiations in Vienna on the restoration of the Iran deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), saying Moscow will keep up efforts to help enable the return of all parties to their obligations under the nuclear accord.

The negotiations have remained stalled for months due to a host of reasons, including a diplomatic dispute with the UN nuclear watchdog and an apparent lack of seriousness in Washington to effectively remove anti-Iran sanctions and return to the nuclear deal.

Commenting on the US concern over Iran-Russia defense ties, the top Iranian diplomat said military cooperation will also be on the agenda of talks between the two sides, but such relations will never work against any other party.

Earlier, Iran’s Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali said the discussions in Moscow will focus on the agreements previously reached between the Iranian and Russian presidents, regional developments, assessment of the progress in the agreements achieved in the Joint Commission, and the latest situation of the North-South Corridor.

Over the past months, the two countries have intensified efforts to strengthen their bilateral strategic cooperation in various fields, mainly the economy, in the face of the sanctions imposed on the two states by the West.