TEHRAN -- Iran’s Foreign
Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian says Russia has reassured the Islamic Republic about its cooperation towards the conclusion of a final agreement in Vienna.
“Reassured that Russia remains onboard for the final agreement in Vienna,” Amir-Abdollahian tweeted on Wednesday about his talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.
The Austrian capital of Vienna has been hosting eight rounds of talks aimed at a potential revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a 2015 deal between Iran and others.
The United States left the deal in 2018 and returned the sanctions that it had lifted. And now Washington and American media outlets have been throwing accusations against Moscow that it is trying to prevent the conclusion of an agreement by making “last-minute” demands.
Meeting with Amir-Abdollahian in Moscow, Lavrov however said that Russia, contrary to the U.S. claim, would not prevent the conclusion of an agreement. Moscow, instead, would keep up its constructive approach towards the collective efforts that are being made towards the purpose, he added.
On Monday, 49 of the 50 U.S. Republican senators said that they would not back any potential agreement in Vienna.
The Iranian top diplomat said, “More than ever, the ball is in U.S. court to provide the responses needed for successful conclusion of the talks.”
Separately, Amir-Abdollahian had a phone conversation with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi to brief him on the latest progress in the endeavors to revive the JCPOA.
“If the American side is realistic, we will finalize a good, strong, and lasting agreement with the support of all negotiating parties in Vienna,” he said.
He said Iran stands ready to return to the negotiating table as soon as possible and resolve the final outstanding issues through consultation with related parties in order to work toward a good agreement.
Iran thanks China for playing a constructive role in the negotiations, the chief Iranian diplomat added, voicing hope that China will continue to provide support.
The Iranian foreign minister visited Russia as speculations are running rampant in Western mainstream media outlets that Russia is hampering the conclusion of the talks in the Austrian capital.
“I am tired of speculations regarding the Russian position at the final stage of the #ViennaTalks,” Russia’s lead negotiator said via Twitter early on Wednesday. “Misunderstandings, misinterpretations and distortion of realities. The bottom line: conclusion of the agreement depends not on Russia, but on others, especially #US.”
Iran says it seeks guarantees that the U.S. would not leave the deal again. It also demands a removal of U.S. sanctions in a verifiable manner.
Wang said China is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Iran to push the settlement of the Iranian nuclear issue in a direction conducive to regional peace and stability.
He said the Chinese side understands Iran’s legitimate concerns, supports Iran in safeguarding its legitimate rights and interests, and opposes unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law.