Iran: Russia provokes US at nuclear talks in Vienna

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Sergey Lavrov

Photo: Mikhail Tereshchenko / imago images / ITAR-TASS

Russia has invaded Ukraine - and is now also stirring up the final phase of the nuclear negotiations with Iran.

At the weekend, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov demanded additional guarantees from the United States that Russia would not be disadvantaged if Washington lifted its international sanctions on Iran.

The current Western sanctions over the Ukraine war should not affect Moscow's right to free trade and economic, military and technical cooperation with Iran, Lavrov said, according to the state agency TASS.

He underscored that most of the work to restore the 2015 agreement has been completed.

The deal, which has been on hold since the United States left, was intended to prevent Tehran from building a nuclear bomb and at the same time offer the Islamic Republic a perspective for economic cooperation.

For months, the remaining contracting parties – China, Germany, France, Great Britain and Russia – have been mediating in Vienna to save the nuclear pact.

To do this, the USA would have to lift the sanctions against Tehran and Iran would have to comply with the conditions again.

Israel praises IAEA for dealing with Iran

As a further element for a revival of the agreement, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Tehran agreed on a roadmap for investigating secret nuclear activities with June as the target date.

After that, however, the investigation will not be automatically closed, IAEA boss Rafael Grossi made clear on Saturday evening.

"If Iran does not cooperate, as IAEA Director General I would continue to ask questions and continue this process," Grossi said after returning to Vienna from the negotiations in Tehran.

According to Grossi, a resurgence of the 2015 pact would be difficult to imagine if Iran did not resolve the outstanding issues with the IAEA.

Israel, which is one of the harshest critics of the agreement, spoke positively about the attitude of the IAEA.

"This is an important, professional decision by the IAEA and by Grossi, who have not responded to Iranian pressure," Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Sunday after a cabinet meeting.

A ministerial meeting of the countries involved in the agreement is expected in Vienna in the next few days, diplomatic circles said on Sunday.

At first such a meeting already seemed possible at the weekend.

dop/dpa