No Secret Deal with Russia on Agreement in Vienna, Sanctions

“The claim by the Daily Telegraph that Iran and Russia have reached a secret agreement on the JCPOA [the 2015 Iran deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] and [Western] sanctions [on Russia] is merely an instance of news fabrication,” the source said on Friday.

The report is literally in sync with scenarios planned by Western security circles and aims to enhance psychological warfare, the source said.

“The position of the Islamic Republic of Iran was clearly declared in front of cameras by Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian during his visit to Moscow.”

On March 23, the Daily Telegraph quoted security sources as claiming that Iran had offered to help Russia evade the impact of Western sanctions in return for getting Moscow’s backing for a new deal.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his country, unlike the United States, is not seeking “selfish interests” by the restoration of the JCPOA.

The Vienna talks began almost a year ago with the aim of bringing the White House into full compliance with the JCPOA. The United States left the deal in 2018 under former President Donald Trump and re-imposed the sanctions that the deal had lifted.

The administration of US President Joe Biden has rebuked Trump’s withdrawal from the accord and insisted on re-entering the deal, while dragging the talks out by failing to provide Iran with guarantees that Washington will not exit the JCPOA again.

Throughout the talks, Iran has pressed the US for guarantees as well as the establishment of a verification mechanism on the removal of sanctions.