MOSCOW, July 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin believes it is necessary to preserve international agreements on the Iran nuclear program.

"There are examples of jointly reached agreements that were derailed in an instant, I mean the unilateral withdrawal of the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iran nuclear program," the head of state said at a meeting of Russian ambassadors and permanent representatives. This document "has a most important role for the global non-proliferation regime," he pointed out.

"The current task is to preserve this key agreement and prevent uncontrolled escalation of tensions in the Middle East," Putin noted.

The JCPOA was coordinated by Tehran and six global powers (Russia, the UK, Germany, China, the US, France) in 2015, and in January 2016 it was launched. It stipulates the abolishment of sanctions introduced by the UN Security Council, the US and the European Union against Iran. Tehran obliged to restrict its nuclear program by placing it under international control in response.

On May 8, 2018, US President Donald Trump declared Washington’s withdrawal from the agreement. He promised both to revive the old restrictive measures and introduce new ones.

Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov told reporters earlier on Thursday that a ministerial meeting on the Iran nuclear program may be held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in late September. On July 6, a ministerial meeting of Iran and five international intermediaries (Russia, China, the UK, Germany and France) on the Iran nuclear program was held in Vienna. The intermediaries confirmed their adherence to the agreement and agreed to support and develop broad economic relations with Iran, preserve oil and gas exports from Iran and preserve and uphold effective financial channels with this country.