Chances to Solve Iran’s Nuclear Dispute Higher than Past: Ryabkov

In an interview with Russia Today, the top Russian nuclear negotiator and the Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow sought a solution which did not violate Iran’s rights and interests and at the same time satisfied the G 5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany).

The top diplomat reiterated that his country, as a member of the sextet and also a country which has good neighborliness with the Islamic Republic, would do its best to reach a solution which would satisfy all the parties.

Referring to the progress made during the previous rounds of negotiations, Ryabkov said the exact time and the location of next round of talks are still unknown. Meanwhile, he added that all the sextet members are trying to resume talks in September.

The Russian official also added that his country carefully follows nuclear remarks made by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei.

Ryabkov underlined that Russia considers Ayatollah Khamenei’s remarks as very important and analyzes all aspects of his Excellency’s remarks.

Iran and the sextet on November 24, 2013, signed an interim nuclear deal in the Swiss city of Geneva. The breakthrough agreement (the Joint Plan of Action), which came into effect on January 20, had given the parties extendable six months to draw up a comprehensive nuclear deal.

In July and after nearly three weeks of intensive diplomatic negotiations in the Austrian capital of Vienna that began on July 2, Iran and the group of six world powers (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) agreed to keep holding talks on Tehran’s nuclear program for four more months.

The parties decided to extend the nuclear talks until November 24 in the hope of clinching a final deal to resolve the decade-long standoff on Iran’s nuclear energy program.