MOSCOW: Russia鈥檚 Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday that Moscow had received guarantees from Washington on its ability to trade with Tehran as part of ongoing talks to salvage the Iran nuclear deal.
鈥淲e received written guarantees. They are included in the text of the agreement itself on the resumption of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program,鈥� Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow with Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
More than 10 months of talks in Vienna have brought major powers close to renewing the landmark 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on regulating Iran鈥檚 nuclear program.
The negotiations halted after Moscow earlier this month demanded guarantees that Western sanctions imposed following its military operation in Ukraine would not damage its trade with Iran.
Lavrov said that the guarantees Moscow had received from Washington would protect Russian involvement in Iran鈥檚 sole Bushehr nuclear energy plant.
The minister said Moscow and Tehran share the position that Western sanctions are imposed with the aim of overriding international law and accused Washington and its partners of directing the penalties 鈥減rimarily against ordinary citizens.鈥�
The 2015 deal gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.
The agreement aimed to ensure Iran would not be able to develop a nuclear weapon, which it has always denied seeking. 鈥淩ussia will not be an obstacle to reaching an agreement,鈥� Iran鈥檚 Amir-Abdollahian said at the press conference with Lavrov.
鈥淭here will be no relation between Ukraine鈥檚 developments ... and Vienna negotiations,鈥� he said, referring to the ongoing conflict and talks on renewing the 2015 agreement.
He praised Russia鈥檚 鈥渧ery positive and constructive role鈥� in the talks and said Moscow would 鈥渟tay beside the Islamic Republic of Iran until the end of the negotiations and reaching a good, strong and lasting agreement.鈥�