Russia has expressed a desire to collaborate with the United States to address West Asia issues, including the commotion surrounding Iran’s nuclear program, given that its ties with Washington are improving.
Haaretz on Sunday quoted Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova as saying that a similar approach to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), might be useful in order to stabilize the situation with regard to Iran.
She also said that Russia “does not rule out the possibility” that Iran will agree to once again restrict its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of U.S.-led sanctions.
Asked whether Russia would use its influence to slow or halt Iran’s nuclear program, Zakharova reminded the Israeli daily that Iran has no intention of developing nuclear weapons and is only interested in nuclear power for civilian purposes.
“We are prepared for the closest cooperation with Tehran and with the other involved parties for the sake of reducing tension and finding sustainable solutions that will enable an effective and long-term accord,” she added.
Back in 2018, then-U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew Washington from the JCPOA and implemented a “maximum pressure” policy against the Islamic Republic.
Iran waited an entire year after the U.S. withdrawal as the three European powers promised to offset the impact of U.S. sanctions. However, as those efforts failed, it ultimately began to reduce its nuclear obligations in a remedial move envisioned within the JCPOA.
After returning to office in January, Trump restored his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran, which aims to bring Tehran’s oil revenues to zero.
In an interview on Friday, the U.S. president claimed that he had sent a letter to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and proposed to negotiate with Iran on a new deal. Iran denied receiving the letter, reiterating its position of not negotiating with Washington under pressure.
“Some foreign governments and domineering figures insist on negotiations, while their goal is not to resolve issues but to exert control and impose their own agendas,” Ayatollah Khamenei said on Saturday, dismissing the idea of negotiation with the U.S.
