Russia’s Foreign Minister on Monday criticized provisions in a 2015 nuclear deal which allowed Europe to trigger UN sanctions on Iran and said it was up to Iran whether to renew talks on its disputed nuclear program.
“When we realized in 2015 that such a solution had been found between the US and Iranian negotiators, we asked our Iranian friends: are you sure this is correct? We were told that Iran does not intend to violate anything, and we believed that as well,” Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Iran’s state-run TV aired on Monday.
The veteran diplomat directly tied the controversial clause to former Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s final talks with then US Secretary of State John Kerry, saying other parties were sidelined as Washington and Tehran closed the deal.
Lavrov’s earlier comments on the issue triggered an unusually public war of words with Zarif, who said the snapback idea was originally pushed by Russian and French negotiators and accused Lavrov of lying about the history of the mechanism.
Asked about criticism that Moscow did not support Iran enough, Lavrov balked.
“Seriously, it must be said that neither current politicians nor former ones have any grounds to complain that Russia failed to support the Islamic Republic at various stages of the negotiations,” he said.
Lavrov described current Western policy towards Iran as built on pressure and said other countries in the region were not fully satisfied with the approach.
“It is very important that, in our assessment, your Arab neighbors do not support efforts to increase pressure on the Islamic Republic,” he added.
‘Our Iranian friends’
Lavrov also signaled support for renewed nuclear diplomacy involving the US and European powers, presenting Russia as ready to help end the standoff.
“Our Iranian friends are aware of our assessments. The decision about whether to resume dialogue with the United States is up to them. We have heard that Iran is interested in resuming such talks, and as for the Agency, whether to restart dialogue with the Agency – we also know Iran wants to revive that, but the decision lies with the authorities in Tehran,” he said.
Asked if it is still beneficial for Iran to remain a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Lavrov advised Tehran to stay committed.
“You raised the final question of whether it is worth Iran remaining in the NPT or not. We believe it is worth staying and that one should not try to drag this issue into the public arena by criticizing everything that has happened,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov also raised concerns over Iran’s decision to curb cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) under an understanding brokered by Egypt, saying Tehran should take that commitment seriously.
“The actions and positions of the Agency have, to put it mildly, generated very unpleasant feelings in Iran, and this is completely understandable to me,” he said.
“But this is a question that should be put more directly to (IAEA chief Rafael) Grossi and his colleagues, so that the principle of neutrality is fully respected and they do not, at certain moments, take political steps that help one side or the other.”
Tehran and the IAEA inked a deal in Cairo in September aimed at resuming full IAEA access but little progress appears to have been made.
Iran suspended cooperation with IAEA inspectors after a 12-day war in June against Israel and the United States in which they attacked Iranian nuclear sites, codified via a new law passed by parliament.
US President Donald Trump said last week Iran's nuclear program is "gonzo" after air attacks he ordered in June and that it faced "obliteration" if restarted, telling Tehran they could avoid more destruction with a nuclear deal.
