Russia says decided to involve Iran in discussions among Moscow, Ankara and Damascus

Russia supports Ankara’s interest in improving relations with Damascus and will develop work in this regard, the foreign minister said at a joint press conference after talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry.

“An agreement in principle has now been reached on involving Iran in this work,” Lavrov added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Lavrov stated that Moscow is concerned about the situation around Iran, and believes that the attitude of the United States toward the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is similar to the attitude of the West to the Minsk agreements.

“The actions of the West mean only one thing that they still prefer, just as they did with regard to the Minsk agreements on the Ukrainian settlement, prefer to dismiss the UN Security Council resolutions and prefer to switch to aggressive actions, including using military force, instead of implementing the decisions of the supreme UN body,” the top diplomat noted.

Iranian officials have time and again noted that Tehran is ready for a deal aimed at reviving the JCPOA and removing sanctions, stressing that the US, which withdrew from the accord in 2018 and reinstated sanctions, should abandon its excessive demands.

Iran has also announced that it has done its part of the deal and the ball is now in the US court to make a political decision.