Page 9 - IRANRptJul22

2.3 Iran’s foreign minister calls for diplomatic solution to Ukraine crisis during Lavrov visit and says Tehran still wants return of nuclear deal
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on June 23—speaking alongside visiting Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov—stated that the Ukraine crisis can only be resolved diplomatically and also that Iran remains "serious" about finding a path to a revived nuclear deal, or JCPOA, with the major powers.
Lavrov took the opportunity presented by the visit to Tehran to push for the global economic realignment that Moscow would like to see Iran be a part of. “All countries experiencing the negative influence of the egotistical policies of the United States and its satellites have an objective need to reconfigure their economic ties in such a way as not to depend on the whims and vagaries of our western partners,” said Lavrov.
Turning to the conflict in Ukraine, Amir-Abdollahian said: "In regards to Ukraine, we believe that American actions done through Nato are part of the crisis' causes. However, the Islamic Republic does not see war as a solution and welcomes political talks on this issue."
Prior to the waves of sanctions that have hit Russia since it invaded Ukraine in late February, Iran was the most sanctioned country in the world. In recent years, Iran has struggled in the shadows to keep up oil and other exports despite the sanctions, which it condemned as amounting to an “illegal economic war”. There are early indications of some tension between Tehran and Moscow as Russia, in waging its battle to stay economically robust despite sanctions, moves in on some of the markets cultivated by Iran. There appears to be some competition between Moscow and Tehran, for instance, for oil sales to China. There have also been some reports of Iran losing some global steel market share to Russia in recent weeks.
In terms of progressing the deadlocked negotiations on reinstating the JCPOA—which would lift economic sanctions againt Tehran in return for curbs on the Iranian nuclear development programme—Amir-Abdollahian remarked: "The nuclear negotiations train has reached difficult stops as they near the end."
Iran, he said, was "serious about reaching a good, strong and lasting agreement", adding: "I hope we can reach the final point of the agreement in the near future with realism from the American side."
Russia is a signatory to the original 2015 JCPOA that the US unilaterally pulled out of in May 2018, rendering the deal almost null and void in doing so. "Today, with the other participants in the JCPOA... we are making every effort to repair the American error when the United States left the JCPOA," Lavrov said.
9 IRAN Country Report July 2022 www.intellinews.com