MOSCOW, March 31. /TASS/. The Biden Administration sends encouraging signals regarding its readiness to improve the situation around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Wednesday during a special session of the Valdai Club Middle East Conference.
"There are encouraging signals from the Biden Administration regarding a search for some kind of compromise, in order to overcome an impasse over the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and to concurrently begin reviewing additional concerns," he said.
Lavrov pointed out that Russia actively supports the development of dialogue on return to the Iranian nuclear deal and discussion of mutual claims. "We propose an inclusive process, while, unfortunately, the previous US Administration’s inertia is still strong: an inertia to review all regional issues through an anti-Iranian prism," the foreign minister said.
Russia supports the prolongation of the JCPOA on the Iranian nuclear program with no modifications, Sergey Lavrov said.
"We support the recovery of the JCPOA in the form that was approved by the Security Council without any modifications to be held in parallel with talks on the system of security and cooperation in the area of the Gulf and around it," he said.
Roadmap
Russia has proposed an informal roadmap for implementing the JCPOA for the Iranian nuclear program, Sergey Lavrov informed. "We have proposed an informal roadmap for Iran and the United States to systematically return to compliance with their obligations step by step."
Lavrov said France provided assistance in formulating the content of such steps, in particular, the first move that was expected to set the process of full compliance with the JCPOA in motion.
"I will not go into the details for the time being. Negotiations are still in progress and it is better not to disclose the specifics to the public at large," Lavrov said.
Earlier, White House Spokeswoman Jen Psaki told journalists that the US remains open for diplomatic interaction with Iran, which would allow both sides to return to implementation of the JCPOA.
On Monday, Politico reported that the US Administration intends to hand over new proposals on settlement of the situation around the JCPOA to Iran this week. According to the report, this initiative involves certain softening of sanctions in exchange for Iran’s suspension of certain nuclear activities, such as use of upgraded gas centrifuges and enrichment of uranium to 20%.
The future of the JCPOA was called in question when the United States unilaterally pulled out of the agreement on May 8, 2018 and imposed oil export sanctions on Iran. Exactly one year later Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Tehran was suspending some of its obligations under the nuclear deal. On January 5, 2020, Iran declared the final phase of reducing such obligations.