MOSCOW, September 8. /TASS/. Moscow is concerned about the rapid progress of Iran's nuclear capabilities, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told TASS on Wednesday.
"We are definitely concerned about the rapid progress that is being observed in Iran's nuclear capabilities," Ryabkov said.
The Russian diplomat explained that the concern was not in terms of Iran's violation of basic obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) or the comprehensive safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), because these documents do not impose any restrictions on Iran in this area. "And the transparency of the corresponding Iranian efforts has been ensured," Ryabkov went on to say. "But from the angle of restoring the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the situation is getting more complicated, because Tehran is moving further and further from the initial terms of the agreement."
"However, this is also reversible if we return to the negotiations and continue to develop compromise solutions to the remaining problems, proceeding with the talks from the point at which they stopped - when they were interrupted," the deputy foreign minister noted.
Since April, negotiations have been held in Vienna between Iran and the five nuclear countries, namely Russia, the UK, China, France and Germany, in terms of restoring the Iranian nuclear agreement in its original form. The parties touched upon the lifting of US sanctions on Iran, the fulfillment of nuclear obligations by Iran as well as the return of the US to the JCPOA. Representatives of the parties to the agreement are also holding separate consultations with the US delegation without the participation of Iran. Initially, the delegations expected to complete the work in late May, then in early June.