Iran, Russia Agree JCPOA Has No Alternatives

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Tehran and Moscow agree that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has no alternatives and needs to be implemented as soon as possible, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.

"We talked about the situation around the JCPOA on the Iranian nuclear program. We have a common understanding that there is no alternative to this international agreement, which was written down in the unanimously adopted UN Security Council Resolution 2231. We are in favor of the early resumption of the full implementation of this resolution and oppose actions that prevent this," Lavrov said after his meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian.

The Russian minister added that the US needs to lift sanctions from Iran and return to its obligations under JCPOA.

The Russian diplomat also said that new ontacts between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, are planned.

"Last year the presidents met in person four times. This year they have already spoken on the phone three times. And more additional contacts are planned," Lavrov said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, in turn, said that Tehran hopes that the foreign ministries of Iran and Russia will finalize a draft agreement on comprehensive partnership between the countries next month.

"I am very grateful that the draft of a comprehensive agreement on strategic partnership between our countries has been reviewed and finalized in Russia. We are now reviewing it again as well. I very much hope that within the next month, the legal departments of the foreign ministries of our two countries will finalize this draft," said at a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Russia and Iran are in the final stages before this agreement is signed, the minister added.

During the press conference, Hossein Amirabdollahian also revealed that the deputy foreign ministers of Iran, Russia, Syria and Turkey will hold a meeting in Moscow next week.

"We talked with my colleague Mr. Lavrov [about the quadrilateral ministerial meeting]. Just here [in Moscow] next week, this quadrilateral meeting will take place at the level of deputy ministers. And the main goal of this meeting is, of course, the rapprochement of Turkey's and Syria's views," Amirabdollahian told reporters after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Both Tehran and Moscow will also make efforts to bring these views closer together, the minister added.