Iran, US may develop synchronized steps to recover nuclear deal — Lavrov

ABU DHABI, March 9. /TASS/. Russia thinks that Iran and the US may develop synchronized steps to recover the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear deal, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday during a joint press conference with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. "In order to resolve this immediate challenge, we find it rather possible to develop synchronized, simultaneous, stage-by-stage steps that must be taken by the Iranians and the US. Because right now, if we stick to discussing who should be first to return to their obligations, the negotiations may last forever," Lavrov said. The minister stressed that Moscow welcomes Washington’s intent to go back to the nuclear deal. "It hasn’t been implemented yet, though, because the US is figuring out how to do it. Some say louder and louder that the JCPOA should be recovered in an updated, modernized format. As you know, they mention the need to discuss Iran’s missile program, regional policy of Iran on its neighboring countries and in the Middle East and North Africa Region on the whole." Russia is confident that there is no need to "overload the goal of recovering the JCPOA in full with some other matters and concerns, albeit important ones," Lavrov stressed. According to the Russian top diplomat, a security conference in the area of the Persian Gulf proposed by Russia may become a platform for discussing the recovery of the nuclear deal. "We are confident that if the security conference in the area of the [Persian] Gulf proposed by us will be established based on the principles of respect for each other’s interests, of course, based on equality and the need to reach mutually acceptable compromises, then we can discuss any issue during this conference, any concerns that the sides have towards each other," the minister concluded. Read more