Russia gets guarantees from U.S. that sanctions won't affect Moscow-Tehran nuclear cooperation - Lavrov
MOSCOW. March 15 (Interfax) - Russia has received guarantees from the United States that the sanctions will not affect Russian-Iranian cooperation in the nuclear power sector, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
"We've received written guarantees. They are incorporated into the text of the agreement itself on the reinstatement of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program, and these texts reliably protect all projects and areas of activities envisioned by the JCPOA, including the immediate engagement of our companies and specialists, particularly as regards cooperation on the flagship project of our interaction, the Bushehr NPP," Lavrov said at a press conference following negotiations with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Moscow on Tuesday.
"The Americans are trying to say every day that we're hindering this agreement, but this is a lie," Lavrov said. "The agreement has not yet been finally approved in some capitals, and the Russian capital Moscow is not among these," he said.
According to Lavrov, Moscow is in favor of the soonest possible reinstatement of the JCPOA and the lifting of American sanctions on Iran.
"We've substantively discussed the current situation surrounding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear program. We are in favor of the soonest possible full-scale implementation of this agreement, which has been solidified by a UN Security Council resolution based on the balance of interests initially embedded in it," he said.
"We expect the United States to return to the legal framework of this deal, and we expect the lifting of the illegitimate sanctions imposed by the United States, which painfully hit not only the Iranian people but also a number of other countries," he said.
The reinstatement of the JCPOA will definitely bring Iranian oil back to the market, and OPEC+ serves as the primary mechanism preventing market volatility, Lavrov said.
"It is not that the nuclear deal 'may unblock' Iranian oil exports, it will unblock them for sure, as this is a key aspect of the agreement we have been actively supporting," Lavrov said at a press conference.
"As for the effect of the future return of Iranian oil to the global market, clearly, it will be felt by the entire community of exporting and importing countries, and there are mechanisms that would prevent unexpected volatilities, first and foremost OPEC+," he said.