Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, held on Wednesday a joint press conference after their meeting in Moscow, highlighting the importance of preserving the nuclear deal.

Calling on signatories to abide by the Iran nuclear deal, Lavrov said, “I believe the only practical steps that need to be taken in order to resolve the situation… is to convince all remaining participants to fulfill their obligations.”

Lavrov said the 2015 deal had been “fragile” since US President Donald Trump announced Washington would pull out a year ago.

European signatories of the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), were trying to “divert attention” from their inability to implement points of the agreement, Lavrov said.

“We will call on them, as we have done before, to concentrate on implementing everything that is enshrined in the JCPOA and approved by the UN Security Council.”

Source: AFP