Meeting of the working group to lift sanctions as part of the Vienna JCPOA negotiationsMOSCOW, Feb 7At the talks on the restoration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian Nuclear Program (JCPOA), there are advances, the parties are not preparing «safety» scenarios in case of failure, Director of the Department for Nonproliferation and Arms Control of the Russian Foreign Ministry Vladimir Yermakov said in an interview with RIA Novosti. it is important that the participants in the Vienna process are united by a common goal and are working hard for a positive result. There is progress, despite the information attacks of various opponents of the «nuclear deal» and the unrest in the media,» Yermakov said. According to him, the goal of the negotiations in Vienna is the full restoration of the JCPOA on the conditions and in the parameters that were agreed in 2015, and «we are not talking about insurance scenarios in case the multilateral efforts to revive the action plan do not yield results.» .
The political scientist proposed a solution to the problem of restoring the JCPOA «Sane forces in the world are aware that the JCPOA has no reasonable alternative, and the gross mistakes and violations of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 committed by the former US administration must be corrected. This will create conditions for «unfreezing «Iran has suspended its voluntary obligations in response to Washington's subversive actions,» the diplomat added. Negotiations are currently underway in Vienna to renew the JCPOA and lift Washington's sanctions. The eighth round started on December 27, and the negotiators paused on January 28 to consult with the capitals. Negotiations are expected to resume this week. Against this background, the State Department told RIA Novosti that Washington had decided to reinstate the previously canceled exemptions from the sanctions against Iran's nuclear program. At the same time, it was noted that Washington does not consider this step as a concession to Tehran.Blinken called the condition for the return of the United States to the JCPOA In 2015, the UK, Germany, China, Russia, the United States, France and Iran concluded a nuclear deal — the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which provided for the lifting of sanctions in exchange for limiting Iran's nuclear program. In May 2018, then-US President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA and reinstated sanctions against Tehran. In response, Iran announced a phased reduction in its obligations under the agreement, abandoning restrictions on nuclear research, centrifuges and the level of uranium enrichment. Earlier, the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, did not rule out that if negotiations in Vienna at the same pace, before the end of February, the parties can reach an agreement. After that, it may take about two more months to prepare for the resumption of the nuclear deal, so it could be fully operational by April, at which time the oil embargo against Iran could already be lifted.
The United States reinstated exemptions from sanctions against Iran
