MOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/. Iran’s decision to suspend some of its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear deal is caused by rash steps taken by Washington, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.
"President Putin has repeatedly talked about the consequences of rash steps in relation to Iran, that is, the decision taken by Washington," he said. "We see that these consequences are starting to ensue."
"The situation is serious, it is clearly provoked by previous decisions [of Washington]," Peskov continued. "Putin had said that ill-conceived subjective decisions lead to unjustified pressure on Iran and provoke further undesirable steps, which we are witnessing now."
Peskov reminded that Putin has repeatedly reaffirmed Moscow’s commitments to the JCPOA, highlighting the importance and indispensability of this deal.
The Kremlin spokesman added that Moscow would maintain contacts with its JCPOA partners in order to save the deal. "It goes without saying that Russian diplomats will continue to discuss this topic [the JCPOA] with their partners, including (their) European partners, in order to maintain the agreement’s viability," he stressed.
Peskov added that it is too early to talk about potential sanctions against Iran due to the decision taken by Tehran. "Right now, we just need to assess the situation properly and exchange the positions on this matter," he said. "We need to analyze this situation and to establish contacts along the lines of foreign ministries," Peskov stated.
The Kremlin official added that Putin does not plan to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who is currently on a visit to Moscow.
JCPOA situation
On Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Tehran would partially suspend its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The issue at hand is two clauses of the deal concerning the suspension of the sales of Iran’s enriched uranium and heavy water. Rouhani added that other parties had 60 days to honor their commitments concerning the banking area and on oil trade issues.
On May 8, 2018, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington would unilaterally quit the landmark accord inked in 2015 aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear program. Anti-Iranian sanctions, including a ban on purchasing oil, were reinstated in November.
Under Washington’s pressure, Tehran was disconnected from the SWIFT international payment system, which hindered financial relations between Iranian businesses and their foreign partners.
In January 2019, Berlin, London and Paris said in response they would set up a special payment mechanism with Iran, which would enable them to keep doing business with Tehran bypassing US sanctions. To do so, the three countries created a company called Instex, but the mechanism has not been put into practice to date.