MOSCOW, May 14. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif have agreed to go ahead with contacts over the Iranian nuclear deal following the United States’ pullout, Russian Foreign Ministry said after a Lavrov-Zarif meeting on Monday morning.

"The focus of attention was on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) regarding the Iranian nuclear program following the United States’ pullout from the agreement," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. "The ministers agreed to maintain tight bilateral contacts on this issue."

"A number of topical international problems, including Syria, were touched upon," the Foreign Ministry said.

US President Donald Trump on May 8 declared that Washington was quitting the deal that restricted Tehran’s nuclear research in exchange for the lifting of UN Security Council sanctions and unilateral restrictive measures taken by the United States and the European Union. Trump vowed to restore the old sanctions and introduce new ones. At the same time he said the United States was prepared for concluding another agreement on new terms. The conditions Washington has set for Tehran to meet are utterly unrealistic.

The leaders of Britain, Germany and France - Theresa May, Angela Merkel, and Emmanuel Macron - called upon all participants to adhere to the agreement to the full extent. Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani promised that Tehran was determined to stick to the JCPOA and comply with its commitments. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the United States’ pullout from the JCPOA as a violation of the UN Security Council and pointed out that Russia would press for preserving the treaty despite Washington’s plans to restore the regime of sanctions against Tehran.