MOSCOW. May 21 (Interfax) - Moscow remains cautiously optimistic that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program could be salvaged and the agreement would not be completely scrapped after Washington's withdrawal from it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"We deem it fundamentally important that Iran is not seeking to worsen tensions but is continuing to strictly abide by its obligations to the international community. The IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] has confirmed this once again. The rest of the signatories, including Russia, also remain committed to the deal," Lavrov said in an interview with the Argentine newspaper Clarin.
"All of this keeps us cautiously optimistic that the JCPOA could be salvaged. Therefore, there are still chances that the negotiated solution to a critical international problem achieved through years of huge efforts would not be completely dashed," he said.
Moscow "is open to interaction in the JCPOA's interests and is determined to develop mutually beneficial cooperation with Tehran," Lavrov said.