Moscow, Beijing oppose revision of Iran Nuclear Deal - Lavrov

MOSCOW, April 5. /TASS/. Moscow and Beijing oppose attempts to revise the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) for Iran’s nuclear program as it may undermine long-standing global efforts in this area, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said following talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Thursday. According to the Russian top diplomat, the focus of the talks was on the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. "Attempts to revise this agreement run contrary to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231, which fully approved the deal," Lavrov stressed. "Attempts to revise it may undermine long-standing global efforts in this area," he added. JCPOA issue The JCPOA, signed in Vienna in the summer of 2015, involves Iran, Russia, the United States, China, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. It stipulates that Tehran should produce no weapons-grade plutonium and reduce its stockpiles of enriched uranium in return for the removal of international sanctions. After Iran implemented its obligations, which was verified by IAEA inspections, then-US President Barack Obama lifted sanctions imposed on Tehran over its attempts to develop nuclear weapons. At the same time, other restrictions, including those concerning ballistic missiles, remained in place. On October 13, 2017, incumbent US President Donald Trump announced a new strategy towards Iran, stipulating that Washington would seek to make changes in the JCPOA in order to curb Iran’s "destabilizing influence." Trump refused to certify the agreement on January 13. He said that Washington would withdraw from the JCPOA unless "the deal’s disastrous flaws" were fixed. Trump noted that he was "waiving the application of certain nuclear sanctions, but only in order to secure our European allies’ agreement to fix the terrible flaws of the Iran nuclear deal." Read more