Russian Foreign Minister S.Lavrov said Moscow expected the Iranian nuclear deal to be saved

Teheran, April 14 - Neftegaz.RU. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on April 13 met Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in Iran.
During the meeting, Lavrov said that Iran and Russia share common and close goals in regional and international cooperation.

Lavrov was referring to the recent nuclear talks in Vienna and the desire by the U.S. to return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
He said Moscow still expected Washington to return to the nuclear deal with Teheran, but criticised moves he said complicated the Vienna talks.

The chief Russian diplomat said:

• Moscow and Teheran work closely to ensure the full implementation of the JCPOA
• Russia firmly believes that there is no reasonable alternative to the JCPOA
• We do our best to help Washington and Teheran find the right solution

S.Lavrov also criticised the U.S./EU sanctions on Iran:

• It is equally important to step up efforts to reduce risks associated with sanctions and potential expenses for economic operators
• In particular, gradual steps should be taken to move towards de-dollarization of national economies and transition to payments in national or alternative currencies, as well as to stop using international payment systems controlled by the West
• Russia has been working actively to that end

Tehran has taken several steps against denuclearisation, arguing that since the US abandoned the deal 1^st, they should take the 1^st step in renegotiating and ultimately removing sanctions.

The Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif said:

• Iran has no problem with returning to implementing JCPOA commitments
• But the Americans should know that neither sanctions nor acts of sabotage will give them negotiation tools and these acts will only make the situation more difficult for them

During his meeting with Lavrov, Iranian President Rouhani underlined the need for Tehran and Moscow to continue cooperation to resolve regional crises and problems but said that «inviting the Zionist regime [Israel], as a destabilizing and tension-promoting element, to enter the Persian Gulf region is a dangerous step.

To read the article in Russian