MOSCOW, January 28. /TASS/. Russia and France share close views on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action for the Iranian nuclear program, the Kremlin said in a statement following a call between the countries’ presidents, Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron.
"The state of affairs around the JCPOA on the Iranian nuclear program was considered," the statement said. "It was noted that Russia and France have close positions, actively supporting the continuation of international efforts to preserve and implement the JCPOA, as well as UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which approved it."
The JCPOA was signed with Iran in 2015 by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany in order to overcome a crisis around its nuclear program. In 2018, then US President Donald Trump made a decision to withdraw from the JCPOA. Current US President Joe Biden repeatedly indicated his readiness to return the US to the nuclear deal with Tehran.
The eighth round of talks, which seek to restore the JCPOA in its original form and bring the US back into the agreement, resumed after the New Year pause on January 3. Following a JCPOA Joint Commission meeting between Iran and the five world powers (Russia, the UK, Germany, China and France) on December 27, 2021, the parties agreed to accelerate the process of drafting the agreement in the working groups. This round is expected to be the last, as the parties intend to complete the negotiations by February 2022.