Iran Awaiting Russia’s Official View on Sanctions: Spokesman
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Tehran waits to know via diplomatic channels about details of the comments from Russia’s foreign minister who has called for US guarantees that sanctions on Moscow won’t affect its ability to work with Iran after the JCPOA is restored.
Speaking to reporters at a press conference on Monday, Saeed Khatibzadeh commented on the recent remarks from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who has said that Moscow wanted a written guarantee from the United States that Russia's trade, investment and military-technical cooperation with Iran under the 2015 nuclear deal would not be hindered in any way by the sanctions imposed over the conflict in Ukraine.
“We have noticed Lavrov’s comments in the media and are waiting to hear about its details through diplomatic channels,” the spokesman said.
On the ongoing negotiations in Vienna about the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Khatibzadeh emphasized that Iran’s peaceful nuclear cooperation, including the peaceful collaboration with Russia and China, should not be limited or affected by any sanctions.
“As of today, Russia’s approach to achieving a collective agreement in Vienna has been constructive,” the Iranian diplomat said.
“As the negotiators of the Islamic Republic of Iran, we are not astonished by the stances of countries, either the countries that have announced certain stances before or (those whose stances) we are hearing these days,” he added.
Khatibzadeh said what should be taken into account in the course of the Vienna negotiations are the words and deeds combined.
The Vienna talks began last April between Iran and the five remaining parties to the JCPOA — Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China — on the assumption that the US, under the Joe Biden administration, is willing to repeal the so-called maximum pressure policy pursued by former president, Donald Trump.
Tehran says it won’t settle for anything less than the removal of all US sanctions in a verifiable manner. It also wants guarantees that Washington would not abandon the agreement again.