Russia Sees No Alternative to JCPOA

There is no alternative to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s nuclear program, and proposals for other options are making it harder to salvage the deal, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
“Everything that’s necessary for the full-blooded implementation of the JCPOA is contained within it,” she said at a news conference. “All the talk about some ‘plan B’ and suchlike scenarios or threats is distracting from the essence of the matter and is definitely not helpful, perhaps even poisonous—for the atmosphere of the negotiations,” TASS reported.
All the sides involved in the Vienna talks seek to resume the JCPOA in its originally agreed form and ensure its further existence, and it is wrong to say the talks have reached an impasse, she said.
“We expect that the search for the necessary disentanglements will be accelerated,” she said.
The seventh round of talks to reinstate the JCPOA started on November 29 in Vienna, after a hiatus that lasted from June due to elections in Iran. During the six rounds from April to June the negotiators discussed which US sanctions against Iran are to be lifted and compiled a list of steps for Tehran to make to return to its obligations.
Meanwhile, another Russian diplomat said despite the difficult situation in the negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, there is a real chance to settle all issues through diplomacy.
Russia’s ambassador to international organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said he saw “a real chance” for an agreement during the latest round of talks in Vienna.
Speaking to reporters, the Russian lead negotiator said it was necessary for both Iran and the United States to return to compliance with the provisions of the nuclear deal.
“The Americans must first of all lift the sanctions, and Iran must bring its nuclear program in line with the parameters laid down in the JCPOA.”
He spoke of a “very difficult” situation and “a lot of differences” existing between Tehran and Washington both in the previous and present rounds of negotiations and said, “Nevertheless, we think there is still a real chance to resolve all issues through diplomacy and negotiation.”
The Russian diplomat explained that most of these differences stem from Iran’s retaliatory steps away from the deal, but said it was “important to understand that this happened not because of Tehran’s ill will, but as a reaction to the irresponsible policy of the US maximum pressure with extraterritorial sanctions and other forms of pressure on Tehran. Tehran is resisting. And this could have been expected, no surprise.”