Go to the media bankMikhail Ulyanov. File photoMOSCOW, Sep 10The statement of Germany, France and the UK criticizing Tehran's position on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program was made «out of time», at an important moment in the negotiations in Vienna, said Mikhail Ulyanov, permanent representative of the Russian Federation to international organizations in Vienna. «Indeed, very untimely. Right at an important moment of the Vienna talks and on the eve of the meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors,» Ulyanov wrote on Twitter.Washington got a «stick» for IranEarlier, the «Euro-three» said that Tehran's position on the JCPOA on the Iranian nuclear program puts the prospects for restoring the deal at risk. The joint statement noted that Iran continues to develop its nuclear program, going «far beyond» what can be justified by «civilian considerations.» In addition, as the agreement approaches, Tehran has again raised certain issues related to its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the safeguards agreement concluded with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Friday said that the negotiators on the restoration of the deal on the Iranian nuclear program were able to eliminate «a number of gaps», but Tehran's latest written response to the proposals of the West threw back the dialogue on this topic. According to Blinken, the United States does not consider it possible at this stage to restore the deal in a form that does not meet the basic requirements of Washington.Iran's response set back JCPOA dialogue, Blinken said In 2015, the UK, Germany, China, Russia, the US, France and Iran signed a nuclear deal — the JCPOA on Iran's nuclear program, which involved the lifting of sanctions in exchange for limiting Iran's nuclear program. In May 2018, the United States under 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. Negotiations were held in Vienna to renew the JCPOA and lift Washington's sanctions against Tehran. In December 2021, the parties reached an agreement on two draft agreements, in which the European side included the positions of Iran. Iranian spokesman Bagheri Kyani said the talks were going well, but US State Department spokesman Ned Price assessed the progress in Vienna as modest, urging Tehran to take the issue seriously. With the return of the parties to their capitals at the end of March, the negotiations were suspended. The Iranian Foreign Ministry blamed the US administration for this. The next round of JCPOA talks took place in Doha on June 29-30.
