Russian Senator:

Iran’s JCPOA Decision A Diplomatic Demarche

TEHRAN (defapress) – Tehran’s decision to row back on some of its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers is a diplomatic demarche, a senior Russian lawmaker said.

News ID: 77289

Date: 08 May 2019 - 14:09

Russia, one of the signatories of the deal, sees the move as regrettable but understandable, said Konstan Kosachev, chairman of the Russian Senate Foreign Affairs Committee.

He blamed the US for pulling out of its part of the bargain, which happened exactly a year ago, and ratcheting up pressure against Iran ever since.

“There is no reason to welcome Iran’s decision since we all want to keep the Iranian nuclear deal alive, but it’s very easy to understand. Hopefully, this will be limited to diplomacy and not an actual withdrawal by Iran,” Kosachev wrote in a Facebook post.

On Wednesday, Iran said it will give other parties to the deal 60 days to deliver on their promise to salvage the agreement by offering Iran protection from re-imposed American sanctions, particularly in the oil export and banking sectors.

The demand was specifically addressed to the European signatories, who, according to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, failed to deliver on promises to compensate for the damage done to Iran’s economy by the US.

Vladimir Dzhabarov, Kosachev’s deputy on the committee, said he didn’t see how the Europeans could change US policies towards Iran, making it uphold its part of the bargain. “But at least there is an issue to talk about,” he added.

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