Iranian diplomacy of the past few days went trilateral today, when Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif flew to Moscow to meet with Sergey Lavrov and other Russian officials, just a little over a day after returning to Tehran from Iraq. After his arrival, Zarif commented that relations between Russia and Iran are of a strategic nature, adding that in the current situation, there is a necessity for regular talks between both states. “The extension of a 20-year agreement between Iran and Russia is on the agenda of the Iranian diplomatic body,” Zarif said, reported TASS, when asked whether Iran plans to prolong the cooperation agreement with Russia.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, for his part, stressed that Russia is doing everything it can to save the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. He said that Russia condemns the U.S. policy of destroying the JCPOA and “we will do our best to preserve it,” reported IRNA. The Russian diplomat stressed that there is still a chance to keep the JCPOA, and not only Russia, but also China is active in this regard, and the European members of the JCPOA are working to maintain this agreement.
