JCPOA to boost Tehran-Moscow ties: Medvedev

“Russia and Iran have long-standing friendly relations. And now that a comprehensive agreement on the Iranian nuclear program has been reached in [the Austrian capital of] Vienna, it has opened up new opportunities for deepening bilateral cooperation,” Medvedv said in an interview with Egypt’s al-Ahram newspaper published on Thursday.
 
Medvedev said that Russia always insisted that the Western dispute with Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program only has a “political and diplomatic solution.”   
 
On July 14, Iran and the P5+1 countries – the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany – finalized the text of an agreement, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in Vienna.
 
The Russian premier said that the JCPOA will also contribute to restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East.
 
“We believe that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action will not only help restore normal economic and political contacts between Iran and the international community, but will also ensure peace and stability in the Middle East,” he said.
 
Under the JCPOA, limits are put on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for a set of commitments by the P5+1, including the removal of all economic and financial bans against the Islamic Republic.
 
The JCPOA turned into an international document after the UN Security Council on July 22 unanimously endorsed a resolution, under which the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will continue to verify Iran’s compliance with its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA.