No Reasonable Alternatives for JCPOA: Russia
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed on Thursday that the 2015 Iran nuclear deal , known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), has no viable alternatives and that any speculation on a "Plan B" or other options is irresponsible.
Asked in an interview with Sputnik whether the “point of no return” has been passed in the work of reinstating the JCPOA, Lavrov replied that those who keep saying that everything is lost are Westerners.
He added that the Westerners “are trying to scare the world from the 'Iranian threat' and they don’t like to remember that the JCPOA was working perfectly until the US decided overnight to break the nuclear deal.
“Let me remind you that it was May 2018, in breach of its own obligations,” the top Russian diplomat said.
Technically, he added, the negotiations to "restart" these historic agreements have reached a stage where the main approaches have been defined and the time has come to make responsible decisions.
Moscow is prepared for such a development, according to Lavrov.
He recalled that the Russian side once offered a "simple and straightforward model" as the US and Iran simultaneously and gradually moved towards each other and gradually returned to fulfilling all of the JCPOA's requirements.
"Every detail has been worked out to the smallest detail. We can implement such a scenario if there is political will. Another issue is that the Americans and Europeans slowed sharply at the finish line," Lavrov explained.
The remarks come shortly after Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian confirmed during his visit to Oman on Wednesday that the window for an agreement won't always remain open forever, urging other parties to be realistic.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the two-day visit during which he met top-ranking Omani officials, including the Sultan of Oman, Hossein Amirabdollahian said Tehran welcomes any initiative on the part of Muscat “to reach a good, strong and stable agreement.”
Amirabdollahian arrived in the Omani capital on Tuesday for talks on bilateral, regional and international issues, and also to convey a message from President Ebrahim Raisi to the Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tarik.
“The window to reach an agreement on the part of the Islamic Republic of Iran will not be open always,” the top Iranian diplomat asserted, adding that the window will be shut if the opposite parties, especially the Americans, continue to behave hypocritically and unrealistically.