Agreement on JCPOA may be reached soon if additional guarantees are provided - Iranian FM

MOSCOW. Aug 31 (Interfax) - An agreement on the restoration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) may be reached soon if the considered text is reinforced with additional guarantees, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said.

"The text that is on the agenda, if we can reinforce it, I think an agreement is not a long way off," Abdollahian said at a press conference following talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.

Iran is committed to achieving "a stable and lasting agreement," which requires reinforcing in the text, in particular, guarantees that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) "will distance itself from political behavior and will fulfil professional technical duties," he said.

Besides, it would be unacceptable for Iran if "we again witnesses the political views and unfounded accusations of the IAEA" after all parties go back to implementing the JCPOA, the Iranian foreign minister said.

Abdollahian said an agreement can be reached if the United States "is realistic about issues relating to the lifting of sanctions and the elimination of some concerns" of Iran.

Lavrov, for his part, said that "Russia fully understands and supports the position of Iran in favor of unconditional restoration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and in favor of full lifting of the illegal U.S. sanctions."

"I will repeat once again: we did everything that depends on Russia a long time ago. We are fully satisfied with the current text of the agreement, which has now been drawn up, and we will be guided by the position of our Iranian friends," Lavrov said.