Russia Views Possible US Exit from JCPOA as Strengthening Relations with Iran

Vladimir Yermakov, the Secretary General of the Department for Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons at the Russian Foreign Ministry, said on Friday: "We do not think that the US exit from the JCPOA would mean the end of this agreement. It may even make things easier economically, as we have no restrictions on cooperation and economic transactions with Iran." He added: "Then we will have bilateral cooperation in all areas, including energy, transportation, modern technologies, and pharmaceuticals." US President Donald Trump has set a deadline of May 12 for the "deficiencies of the JCPOA" to be corrected; otherwise, he will not extend the suspension of sanctions against Iran based on the JCPOA. The US President has outlined four conditions for continued US participation in the JCPOA, which include "immediate access" for international inspectors to all sites and facilities in Iran, making restrictions on Iran's nuclear program permanent, guaranteeing that Iran will not approach nuclear weapons, and limiting Iran's ballistic missile program. Vladimir Yermakov stated in Geneva during the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Conference that Russia will remain in the nuclear agreement with Iran. He added: "If the US violates an agreement backed by a UN Security Council resolution, it is the US that must bear the consequences. Neither Iran, nor China, nor Russia, nor European countries should suffer losses." He further stated: "Russia will remain in this agreement as long as Russia's interests are guaranteed and the provisions of the JCPOA are enforceable. Maintaining this agreement is in the interest of global security." Yermakov also noted, "There is no reason for Iran to exit the JCPOA as Iran has fulfilled its commitments and has a strong position." He added: "It is not in anyone's interest for Iran to return to a nuclear program that worries many governments. However, Iran has the full right to access peaceful nuclear energy." Yermakov stated: "If the US exits the JCPOA, it will no longer be possible to reconsider the return of UN Security Council sanctions. In fact, theoretically, it is the United States that should be sanctioned for breaking a global agreement. But this will not happen because it has veto power in the Security Council." Last week, the leaders of Germany and France traveled to Washington to persuade Donald Trump to stay with the JCPOA. Mahmoud Vaezi, the head of the Iranian Presidential Office, also said on Friday: "Necessary forecasts have been made to counter a possible US exit from the JCPOA, and there is readiness to respond rationally to this decision." He added: "It has been planned in such a way that if the US exits the JCPOA, the country will not be significantly affected by the consequences of this action." Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian Foreign Minister, had previously stated that Iran would not accept renegotiations on the JCPOA nor would it engage in discussions about its missile program and regional actions. According to reports from Reuters, ISNA, and Radio Farda; K.T./S. In this context, Velayati: If the US exits the JCPOA, Iran will also exit. Zarif's reaction to the West's proposal: We will neither negotiate about missiles nor regional issues. The US State Department: Negotiations with Europeans about the future of the JCPOA continue. The EU's comprehensive efforts to preserve the Iranian nuclear agreement. Iran's negative trade balance with the US has increased. The changing battlefield of "proxies"; war against the people in the streets of Iran. The Iran crisis; the responsibility of opponents and the possibility of radicalizing Iranian society. The death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iran crisis. Internet shutdown in Iran has exceeded 300 hours; reports of "evidence" of the killing of injured patients under treatment. Accounts from three witnesses about the situation in Isfahan province; "like war-torn areas." The death of the last Mossad representative in Tehran amid the Iran crisis. Trump emphasizes "stopping executions in Iran": we do not know what will happen in the future. Trump announced an agreement to hold a meeting about Greenland in Davos.