Lavrov says Russia supports full restoration of Iran nuclear deal in its initial form

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow is in favor of restoring the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in its initial form that was endorsed by a UN Security Council resolution.

Speaking at the Middle East Conference of the Valdai Discussion Club in Moscow on Wednesday, the top Russian diplomat called for the JCPOA’s “full restoration,” stressing that the deal should be restored in its initial form as it was approved by the UN.

"We have proposed an informal road map, envisioning Iran's and the United States simultaneous gradual return to implementation of their obligations. French colleagues help us formulate the steps, especially the first step, which should launch the process of JCPOA full restoration," he said.

The remarks come in the wake of a report by American news website Politico, which claimed the US is to end the deadlock over the nuclear deal with a new proposal.

The proposal would ask Iran to halt some of its nuclear activities, such as work on advanced centrifuges and the enrichment of uranium to 20 percent purity, in exchange for some relief from US economic sanctions, said one person familiar with the situation, who stressed that the details are still being worked out.

In response to the report, the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic to the United Nations reiterated that no proposal is needed for the US to rejoin the JCPOA.

“It only requires a political decision by the US to fully and immediately implement all of its obligations under the accord and abide by UNSCR 2231,” which endorsed the deal, the mission said in a tweet.

A senior Iranian official also told Press TV on Monday that Tehran will not stop 20-percent uranium enrichment before the US sanctions are removed.

The official said "20-percent uranium enrichment is in line with Paragraph 36 of the JCPOA and will be stopped only if the US lifts all the sanctions,” stressing the country will not stop any of its current nuclear activities before the removal of all sanctions. 

Iranian officials have also rejected any renegotiation of the JCPOA or inclusion of other issues other than the nuclear program of the country in it, saying the agreement is a done deal.  

Elsewhere in his Wednesday remarks, Lavrov said Russia is in talks with its partners on how to hold the summit of the leaders of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council to discuss a range of issues, including the mission of the UNSC.

"The P5 (the US, UK, France, Russia and China) still plays a very important role. As you know, [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin put forward the initiative to hold a P5 summit, where we want to discuss not even some specific crisis ... but rather the mission of this institution (UNSC) in international politics," he said.

Lavrov said that it was not possible to convene for talks in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, but added, “We are now discussing how we could implement the idea. We hold consultations with our partners. I hope that the talks will be held. This is truly important.”

Although the administration of US President Joe Biden has expressed a willingness to return Washington to the JCPOA, it has not taken a palpable measure since taking office on January 20 towards reviving the agreement.

The US was the only party that left the deal and threatened other countries with sanctions should they keep trade with Iran.

The US failure to remove its sanctions and abide by its obligations under the JCPOA, coupled with the Europeans’ failure to keep their end of the bargain, prompted Iran to take a series of countermeasures in suspending some of its commitments.

However, Tehran has said that it will suspend its remedial measures taken under Article 36 of the JCPOA only if the US removes its bans in a manner that it could be verified by Iran.

Russia and China, the two non-European parties to the JCPOA, have on numerous occasions criticized the US pull-out from the landmark deal.

Earlier this month, Lavrov said the US withdrawal was a violation of international law, and proved Washington’s complete inability to engage in talks and reach agreements.

“When the US withdrew from the Iranian nuclear deal, which they are now trying to revive, they not only stopped fulfilling their obligations, but banned all other countries from fulfilling the UN Security Council Resolution [2231],” Lavrov said in an interview with Chinese media outlets.

He added that the US pull-out from the deal was “a gross violation of international law, [and] a demonstration of the state's complete incapacity to negotiate.”

“I hope the US administration, which said it wants to rejoin the nuclear deal, will follow through with its plan,” he added.

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