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Missing chances of resuming Iranian nuclear deal would be a mistake — Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister also noted the normalization of relations between Arab countries and Iran

UNITED NATIONS, April 26. /TASS/. It would be a huge mistake to miss the chance of resuming the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear program due to West’s actions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters in New York.

"We assume that the agreement to resume it was reached quite a while ago. Now, European countries have lost their enthusiasm for some reason, and US officials say via different channels on the conditions of anonymity that another option should be sought. It appears to me that it would be a huge mistake to skip the chance of resuming this deal," the top Russian diplomat said on Tuesday at a news conference to sum up the results of his visit to the United States within the framework of Russia’s presidency in the UN Security Council.

He also noted the normalization of relations between Arab countries and Iran.

"This is a very healthy process. We, in principle, favor establishing some mechanisms of cooperation, transparency, confidence-building in the Gulf region. At this stage, the resumption of the deal does not depend on Iran, or Russia, or China. The ones who destroyed it must now bring it back to life," Lavrov said.

The previously agreed document is fully in line with this goal, he added.

"Attempts to create new requirements that were not mentioned in the initial text <…> complicate the process and reflect the policy of grasping unilateral advantages through bargaining or blackmail," Lavrov said.