Russian senior diplomat discusses implementation of nuclear deal in Tehran - foreign ministry

MOSCOW, February 14. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov visited Tehran on Wednesday where he discussed the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iran nuclear deal, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Ryabkov met with Deputy Chief of Staff of Presidential Office for Political Affairs Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araghchi and Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Gholam-Hossein Dehqani. "The consultations focused on the current situation regarding the JCPOA implementation. The sides agreed to continue close coordination in the specified area in order to preserve the JCPOA and protect their national interests due to the negative political developments concerning the agreement," the ministry reported. Other issues of mutual interest were also discussed at the meetings. On July 14, 2015, Tehran, five UN Security Council permanent member states (Russia, the UK, China, the US and France) and Germany reached a deal on Iran’s nuclear program. The JCPOA stipulates lifting of the UN and EU sanctions imposed on Iran in the wake of its nuclear deal in exchange for Tehran’s obligation to restrict its nuclear activity and place it under international control. On January 16, 2016, the parties to the agreement announced the beginning of its execution, and Washington lifted the restrictions. However, during the election campaign and after entering office, Donald Trump repeatedly criticized this document, saying that it provides one-sided advantages for the Islamic Republic of Iran. On October 13, 2017, Trump declared a new strategy on Iran. So, the United States will counter Iran’s "destabilizing activity" and call on the global community to join efforts to influence the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (an elite branch of Iran’s Armed Forces). Trump refused to confirm Iran’s implementation of the nuclear deal and promised to strive for changes in it, otherwise his country will withdraw from the JCPOA. He reiterated that he had extended the lifting of sanctions against Iran, but, he said, it was done with a sole purpose of reaching an agreement with the European allies to address the serious flaws of the Iran nuclear deal. Read more