Russia Supports Renewing The Nuclear Agreement With Iran

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced, today, Wednesday,  his support for the renewal of the nuclear agreement and the abolition of sanctions on Iran, while Tehran renewed its accusation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of politicizing investigations.

During a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian in Moscow, Lavrov said that Russia and Iran do not accept the Western approach that seeks to replace international law.

Lavrov stressed that Russia supports the renewal of the nuclear agreement and the abolition of all sanctions imposed on Iran.

He added that work is underway on an agreement to establish a free trade zone between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union.

Abdullahian, on the other hand, stressed that no party will be allowed to interfere in Iran's affairs.

"Iran is carefully reviewing the text drafted by the European Union... We need stronger guarantees from the other side to reach a permanent agreement," the Iranian foreign minister told reporters, calling on the International Atomic Energy Agency to stay away from politicization.

An Iranian official, who declined to be identified, told Reuters that closing the IAEA investigation was a "red line for Supreme Leader" Ali Khamenei.

The file of the atomic energy agency

On the other hand, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Mohammad Eslami, said that if the IAEA file is not closed, there will be no re-implementation of the nuclear agreement.

Eslami added that Iran will not back down from the demand to close its file with the agency, and will not bear the imposition of sanctions for flimsy reasons, as he described it

The Iranian official clarified that the agency's questions have nothing to do with the comprehensive safeguards agreement, considering it a repetition of the Israeli accusations.

Islami stressed that the implementation of any agreement must be in accordance with the timetable stipulated in the 2015 agreement.

The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said that his country's relationship with the International Atomic Energy Agency is only within the framework of the comprehensive safeguards agreement and that his country cannot implement the agency's "additional demands" due to the sanctions imposed on it.

He added that Iran does not implement any commitments outside the framework of the comprehensive safeguards agreement and that it will allow the Agency's cameras and equipment to be installed again in its nuclear facilities, in case all parties return to implementing their commitments.

Last Monday, the International Atomic Energy Agency published a report saying that Iran had started enriching uranium using one of three sets of advanced centrifuges (IR-6) at the Natanz plant.

Iran has been using IR-6 centrifuges for more than a year to enrich uranium to 60 percent, close to the purity needed for nuclear weapons at Natanz, according to the report.