Russian deputy FM to visit Tehran over JCPOA, BRICS

“I will be there (in Tehran) on Monday and Tuesday. I will hold meetings with the leadership of the Iranian Foreign Ministry. The topic is field-specific: it is, of course, the situation around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program. <…> Plus BRICS. And I will take part in a seminar organized by the Iranian Foreign Ministry on the BRICS – Iran topic,” the senior diplomat told TASS.

“Our interaction on international platforms is an important topic where we work closely with Iran – issues of WMD nonproliferation, arms control, peaceful uses of outer space and so on,” he went on to say. “This is quite extensive,” Ryabkov added.

Iran proved the peaceful nature of its nuclear program to the world by signing the JCPOA with six world powers. However, Washington’s exit in May 2018 and its subsequent re-imposition of sanctions against Tehran left the future of the deal in limbo.

Multilateral diplomatic efforts to salvage the JCPOA have been stalled since last August, with Iran blaming the United States for failing to guarantee that it will not leave the deal again.

Iran has repeatedly announced that the JCPOA revival is possible if the US and the European signatories to the agreement have the will to reach that aim, warning that the opportunity will not last forever.