Russia Says It Would Be Wrong to Delay US’s Return to JCPOA


Russia Says It Would Be Wrong to Delay US’s Return to JCPOA

TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said it would be wrong to postpone the United States’ return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Russia hopes that there may be a compromise on Iran's nuclear deal before February 21, when Tehran is expected to further ease restrictions on its nuclear program, he said Thursday.

"There isn't a lot of time, considering that on February 21, in accordance with the law adopted by Iran, the country will take the next step toward reducing its obligations, which were accepted voluntarily. It would be good to find some compromise that would help avoid further escalation before that deadline," Ryabkov told a press conference.

The priority is to reverse Washington's withdrawal from the JCPOA as well as US sanctions against Iran, the deputy minister said.

"It is probably impossible to do it all at once, but it would be wrong to delay. We are openly telling this to Americans."

To avoid arguments over who should act first, it would be reasonable to plan simultaneous actions of Washington and Tehran, Ryabkov added.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said earlier this month that Tehran would “immediately” reverse its remedial measures as soon as the US resumes honoring the JCPOA.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei also made it crystal clear for the US and the three European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran’s return to its JCPOA commitments will depend on the full and practical removal of the American sanctions.

The Leader noted that is the definite policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran that is agreed upon by all authorities, emphasizing that Tehran will not back off from this policy.

Former US president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from Iran’s nuclear deal in 2018. Under the deal, Tehran had agreed to limit its uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

After the US then ramped up sanctions, Iran gradually and publicly abandoned the deal’s limits on its nuclear development.

The current US president, Joe Biden, who was vice president when the deal was signed during the Obama administration, has said he hopes to return the US to the deal.

But Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday the US will only return to the nuclear deal once Tehran honors its nuclear commitments.

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