MOSCOW, May 23. /TASS/. Moscow can see that all participants in the Iran nuclear deal, except the US, are determined to maintain the agreement and will continue efforts to that end, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
"A campaign against Iran has been gaining momentum in the US as Washington has clearly opted for the policy of ultimatums and threats towards Iran," she said. "It is not in line with the spirit of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) for Iran’s nuclear program and goes beyond normal relations between countries," she added.
According to the Russian diplomat, the US has put forward totally unacceptable demands to Iran. "At the same time, one can see that other participants in the deal are determined to maintain the agreement," Zakharova noted. "We will continue working to that end. The important thing is that Tehran also abides by its obligations, as confirmed by the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency]," she said.
"As for the future of the JCPOA, it will be decided at the joint commission’s meeting in Vienna on May 25. The event will not involve the United States for the first time," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman pointed out. "We have never supported the policy of unilateral sanctions and will never do that as we believe them to be illegal. We are determined to advance our comprehensive cooperation with Iran," Zakharova concluded.
Iran nuclear deal issue
In 2015, Iran and six major powers (five member states of the United Nations Security Council - Russia, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and China - and Germany) agreed on the final Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which particularly stipulated the removal of sanctions imposed on Tehran over its nuclear program.
On May 8, Trump announced Washington’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. He said that old sanctions on Iran would be restored and new ones would be introduced in case Tehran attempted to pursue its nuclear ambitions.
In the wake of Trump’s decision, the leaders of Great Britain, Germany and France called on other participants in the deal to continue fulfilling it. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Tehran would not abandon the JCPOA and would continue to comply with its obligations. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Washington’s withdrawal from the JCPOA would violate the United Nations Security Council’s resolution. He added that Russia would seek to maintain the agreement despite US plans to resume sanctions against Iran.
On May 21, US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo laid out Washington’s 12 demands for a new nuclear deal with Iran.