Russia Calls For Full Restoration Of JCPOA Without Preconditions - Lavrov

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th January, 2021) Moscow calls for full restoration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iranian nuclear deal, and opposes linking the issue with regional security in the Gulf, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.

"I want to emphasize that there is a temptation of some countries to link progress in regional security with the restoration of the JCPOA. We are not one of those countries. On the contrary, we are convinced that the JCPOA must be resumed in full without any preconditions," Lavrov said at a joint press conference after a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

At the same time, the Russian diplomat said that Moscow stands ready to join any initiatives aimed at pursuing peace, stability and security in the Persian Gulf region.

Then-US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the multilateral accord in 2018, reinstating sanctions on Tehran as part of a maximum pressure campaign. His successor, Joe Biden, has expressed readiness to rejoin the deal should Tehran return to full compliance. At the same time, US officials said that the White House would consult with Israel and Arab countries before making any decisions about reentering the JCPOA deal.

According to Lavrov, Russia, together with Iran, China and European countries, is doing "everything possible" to find solutions so that all JCPOA parties would start fulfilling their obligations in full after Biden expressed willingness to re-enter the nuclear deal.