Russia Pushing US to Uphold Iran Nuclear Deal

Russia is currently working on persuading the US leadership to keep on implementing the Iran nuclear agreement, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.

"We are focusing our efforts … on convincing our partners in the US government that they need to fulfill their duties under Iran's nuclear deal," Ryabkov said at the 62nd Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Tuesday, Sputnik reported.

Last month, the US Congress approved a bill on new non-nuclear sanctions on Iran over the country's missile program, regional activities and alleged human rights violations.

The move has been widely criticized by Iranian senior officials, stressing that the US bill violated the provisions of the pact, officially titled the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

The Russian official noted that the agreement on Iran's nuclear program has proved its effectiveness.

"If the United States under any circumstances will withdraw from the nuclear deal with Iran … any side [which exits the agreement] will strike an irreparable blow to the international and regional security," he cautioned.

***Opposition to Modifications

Ryabkov reiterated that Moscow opposes any amendment to JCPOA and called on all partners to avoid unilateral decisions.

"We constantly encourage all partners to avoid unilateral actions within the framework of this agreement. We are firmly opposed to any interpretations, any toughening or amending the text of this agreement," he said.

On Sunday, Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif might set up a meeting with P5+1, the group of six major powers that negotiated the deal with Iran.

A letter regarding the matter was sent by the P5+1 group to International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano and EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini.

"I saw these reports [on a possible P5+1 meeting], but no date and time has been agreed upon yet. There is no coordinated agenda for this event. But the relevant intentions were expressed by the EU External Action, which acts as a coordinator of P5+1 activities. It depends on how much it coincides with the schedule of [Russian Foreign] Minister [Sergey Lavrov] and what issues will be offered to us for discussion," Ryabkov said, asked about the possibility of a meeting on Iran's nuclear program.

The 72nd regular session of the UN General Assembly will kick off in New York City on September 12.