Islam Times - Russia: No Alternative to Iran Nuclear Deal, Writing New Agreement from Scratch ‘Fantasy’

Russia: No Alternative to Iran Nuclear Deal, Writing New Agreement from Scratch ‘Fantasy’

Islam Times - A Russian diplomat said there is no alternative to restoring the Iranian nuclear deal in its original form, stressing that speculations about writing a new deal from scratch is a ‘fantasy’.

Russia’s Permanent Representative to international organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov expressed Moscow’s in the return of the original agreement in its original form without exceptions or appendages.

In an interview with Izvestia, Ulyanov said that Washington believes a long delay in returning to the JCPOA will be meaningless, referring to the official name of the deal: Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

“From our point of view, there is no alternative to restoring the JCPOA in its original form. All the talk about starting from scratch, writing a new deal, is from the realm of fantasy. If you follow this path, then a new deal may not be agreed very soon, and maybe never. No, we must proceed from the realities, and they are such that the primary task is to restore the original nuclear deal as soon as possible without any exceptions or appendages,” the diplomat said.

Ulyanov added that no date has been set for the resumption of negotiations on the nuclear deal.

The seventh round will take place after the August 5 inauguration of new Iranian president Ebrahim Raeisi.

Meanwhile, the Russian diplomat voiced concern over Iran’s steps in developing the nuclear program but added “In fairness, it should be noted that the Americans continue the policy of maximum pressure initiated by Donald Trump, not very significantly, but in some ways they continue to tighten the screws. So, in this case, Tehran and Washington are demonstrating a mirror-like line of behavior.”