The head of Iranian diplomacy assured that Tehran advocates dialogue, but wants that dialogue to lead to a result that responds to the interests of the Iranian people.
Ultra-conservative Ebrahim Raisi is sworn in as Iran’s new president
Abdolahian said Tehran was ready to receive IAEA director general Rafael Grossi in Tehran “at any time” so that he can review “technical issues” and draw corresponding conclusions.
For his part, Lavrov stressed that attempts by some countries to condition the preservation of the pact to concessions not related to the agreement “lack perspective.”
“We are convinced that the situation in the region must be addressed within the framework of the nuclear pact, all together and sitting at a table,” said the Russian minister.
He added that negotiations with Iran should resume “as soon as possible” and that the international community is awaiting the return of the United States to the pact, which it abandoned in 2018, and the lifting of the “illegitimate” restrictions imposed against Tehran.
The nuclear agreement, known by its acronym in English as JCPOA, was signed in 2015 between Iran and six great powers (the United States, Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom and Germany), but Washington unilaterally abandoned it three years ago and returned to impose sanctions against Tehran.
That agreement limited the Iranian atomic program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions, so the United States’ decision to reintroduce punitive measures in 2018 left it severely weakened.