MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st July, 2020) The top diplomats of Russia and Iran will meet in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss the 2015 nuclear deal, bilateral relations and Syria, slightly over a month after their previous talks in the Russian capital.
Mohammad Javad Zarif last visited Moscow on June 16. Back then, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov commended bilateral cooperation, noting that the dialogue has not weakened even amid the pandemic. The diplomat also reiterated determination to develop economic ties despite US sanctions on Tehran.
The fresh meeting comes days after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, marked the fifth anniversary on July 14.
The accord has been in crisis since May 2018, when the United States unilaterally left it and reinstated sanctions on Iran. Now, Washington is seeking to extend the UN arms embargo on the country, which is set to expire in mid-October. Russia and China oppose the move, arguing that the arms embargo is to be lifted five years after the deal's adoption, under the JCPOA.
Iran warns that the arms embargo extension would mean the death of the nuclear deal.
