MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The United States is not fully implementing the agreement on Iran’s nuclear program, while Tehran adheres to the deal, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Tuesday.
“As of today, Iran adheres to its responsibilities within the framework of the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] very responsibly and fully, and I hope this will also take place in the future. We are also acting accordingly. This cannot be said about our US colleagues, who have violated not only the spirit but also the letter of the JCPOA, as it appears to us, with a number of their actions,” he told reporters.
There is no direct link between Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, Ryabkov said, citing UNSC resolution 2251, which aproved the JCPOA.
He added that he did not believe Iran’s regional policy had anything to do with the nuclear deal either.
"I am convinced that attempts to put JCPOA in question… will not bring any result," Ryabkov said.
The official said that for most international community members, the current document was close to optimal, adding that Russia did not accept the tone of US President Donald Trump's statements on Iran.
The minister's statements come after US President Donald Trump said last week his administration had decided not to certify Iran's compliance with the deal.
After Trump's announcement, many members of the P5+1 group that brokered the historic deal in 2015 yet again stated that they believed Iran was in compliance with the nuclear deal.
Commenting on Washington's move, Moscow said that Russia remained committed to the deal, was interested in preserving it and called on all other participants of the agreement to do the same. Meanwhile, Speaker of the Russian parliament's upper house Valentina Matvienko said that the deal couldn't be repealed unilaterally as it was it was an international act and not just a bilateral agreement between the US and Iran.
However, on October 16, Donald Trump said that the US unilateral withdrawal from the agreement was a "very real possibility." The statement came just a day after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that Washington wants to fully enforce the Iran nuclear deal as it is and "then begin the process of addressing the flaws," emphasizing that the agreement is in the best interest of the United States.
