ROME. Nov 1 (Interfax) - Russia fully supports the return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear deal in a form in which the agreement was concluded, without any exceptions and additions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"If contacts intensify, apparently the parties want to reach an agreement. It may only be reinstated in the very form in which it was approved by the UN Security Council in 2015, any additions, any exceptions are unacceptable for the Iranian side, and we fully support this approach," Lavrov told reporters when asked by Interfax whether intensified contacts could lead to a return of the parties to the deal.
"If something was agreed upon, and if someone then stepped away from the agreement, it is necessary to seek a return to its full respect and compliance," he added.
A meeting on the Iranian nuclear dossier was held between representatives from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany on the sidelines of the Group of Twenty summit on Saturday.
Earlier this week, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri-Kani said Tehran had agreed to resume talks on Iran's nuclear program before the end of November. He said the exact date for resuming talks would be announced next week.
In 2015, Iran and the six countries, namely, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, concluded the JCPOA to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue. Former U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 and renewed sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to phase out compliance with the deal.
From April to June 2021, Iran and international mediators held six rounds of talks in Vienna to reinstate the JCPOA. The talks are currently put on the back burner.