MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/. Tehran considers Moscow to be a reliable partner on the international stage and is particularly grateful for its position on the nuclear deal, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said at a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Ryabkov on Friday.

"I totally agree that Iran and Russia and reliable partners. Our cooperation concerning the regional and international agenda has been very honest, we have similar positions on many regional and global issues," Araghchi said.

He pointed out that the global situation was negatively affected by the policies of the United States and some of its close allies in the Middle East. "We are very pleased to see Moscow maintain a logical, just and balanced position," he said. "I would like to thank Russia for its position on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action," Araghchi added.

The Iranian deputy foreign minister noted that the current crisis surrounding the nuclear deal had stemmed from Washington’s actions. At the same time, he was hopeful that other participants in the deal would continue to implement it. "We hope that the JCPOA’s European participants will remain committed to their obligations," he said.

Iran nuclear deal issue

In 2015, Iran and six major powers (five member states of the United Nations Security Council - Russia, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and China - and Germany) agreed on the final Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which particularly stipulated the removal of sanctions imposed on Tehran over its nuclear program.

On May 8, 2018, US President Donald Trump announced Washington’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. He said that old sanctions on Iran would be restored and new ones would be introduced in case Tehran attempted to pursue its nuclear ambitions.

In the wake of Trump’s decision, the leaders of Great Britain, Germany and France called on other participants in the deal to continue fulfilling it. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Tehran would not abandon the JCPOA and would continue to comply with its obligations. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Washington’s withdrawal from the JCPOA would violate the United Nations Security Council’s resolution. He added that Russia would seek to maintain the agreement despite US plans to resume sanctions against Iran.