MOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/. European partners should fulfill their obligations towards Iran under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on Wednesday at a news conference following talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.
According to Russia’s top diplomat, Moscow and Tehran have reaffirmed their commitment to the JCPOA and the relevant UN Security Council resolution and agreed to work with all parties to the deal, except for the United States, which had withdrawn from that accord, to make sure that the remaining parties strictly comply with their obligations. He added that they pledged to do so "during two meetings of the foreign ministers of the European trio, Russia and China."
"Those meeting were held last July and September," Lavrov explained. "Let me stress once again that specific obligations were assumed there. Russia is committed to honoring them in full. We expect our counterparts, primarily Europeans, who expressed their willingness to find a solution to the problem created by the Americans, to keep their promises as well."
The minister recalled that the nuclear deal had been signed four years ago and endorsed by the UN Security Council in the summer of 2015. A year ago, Washington announced its withdrawal from the accord. That move was "a flagrant violation of both the JCPOA and the UN Security Council’s resolution, which is binding not only for all UN Security Council members, but also for all UN member-states."
"Of course, the situation that has arisen through the United States’ fault causes difficulties in terms of fulfilling the obligations to Iran assumed by the parties to the deal and the overall situation regarding the nuclear non-proliferation regime," Lavrov stressed.
"We were informed about the steps announced by the Iranian leadership yesterday," he added. "Those steps were based on the provisions of the JCPOA as endorsed by the UN Security Council.".