Iran’s FM Heads to Russia


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif left Tehran for Moscow on Monday for talks with ranking Russian officials on a range of bilateral and international issues.

During his stay in Moscow, the top Iranian diplomat will visit Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss expansion of bilateral relation as well as regional and international cooperation in the fight against terrorism and narcotics trafficking.

Zarif is also expected to hold talks on the conclusion of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Joint efforts in line with the establishment of peace and stability in the region will be among the other topics to be discussed during the Iranian minister’s meetings.

As a member of the Group 5+1 (also known as the P5+1 or E3+3), Russia devoted a great deal of effort to finalize the text of a lasting accord on Iran’s nuclear energy program.

Dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the 159-page document has subjected Iran and the six other countries to comply with a series of commitments, resulting in the termination of sanctions on Iran in exchange for certain restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear program during a defined period of time.