Russia, Iran believe nuclear deal should be revived in original form – Moscow

The US-snubbed multilateral agreement on Iran’s nuclear program should be revived in its original form rather than replaced with a new deal, Moscow and Tehran say.

The position was reiterated during a phone call between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. A readout from the Saturday exchange was published by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“The sides have called for the restoration of the ‘nuclear deal’ in its original balanced configuration, as endorsed by the UN Security Council,” the Russian statement said.

The sides confirmed that this is the only correct way to ensure that the rights and interests of all participants of the comprehensive agreement are respected.

The agreement, known as the JCPOA, offered Tehran the lifting of international sanctions and business opportunities in exchange for accepting restrictions on its nuclear program. Signed during the term of US President Barack Obama, it was touted as the best possible way to prevent Iran from rushing toward the creation of a nuclear weapon, an ambition that Iran denies ever having.

Donald Trump sided with Israel in calling the JCPOA the worst deal ever made and ultimately withdrew the US from it, instead pursuing a so-called maximum pressure campaign against Iran. The Biden administration said it wanted to revive the nuclear agreement, but probably in an updated form. Months of indirect US-Iranian negotiations in Vienna failed to produce a breakthrough.

In addition to the US and Iran, the JCPOA was signed by the nations of China, France, Germany, Russia and the UK as well as the European Union.

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