Russian Official: "Significant Progress in Discussions on Restoring Iran Nuclear Deal"

President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi of Iran [Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] A senior Russian official from the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA - Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) restoration negotiation team announced on the 13th (local time) that there has been significant progress in discussions to restore the Iran nuclear deal.

According to Bloomberg News, Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's ambassador, described the current discussions as positive on Twitter, without specifying the exact progress made. Ulyanov reportedly met with representatives from both the US and Iran on the same day.

However, Bloomberg noted that Ambassador Ulyanov tends to view the negotiation talks more positively compared to US and European officials.

In fact, the US and Iran have maintained tense relations until recently. On the 11th, marking the 43rd anniversary of the Iranian Revolution, Iran's President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi stated in a TV speech, "We have no expectations from the ongoing nuclear deal restoration talks or from the US."

President Raisi emphasized, "Iran will rely more on the potential of its economy rather than on nuclear deal restoration talks with foreign countries or major powers."

Two days before President Raisi's speech, on the 9th, the US government warned that if the negotiations are not concluded within a few weeks, restoring the nuclear deal would be impossible.

In 2015, Iran signed a nuclear deal with six countries?the US, France, the UK, Russia, China, and Germany?to freeze or reduce its nuclear program in exchange for lifting economic sanctions imposed by the US, the UN, and the European Union (EU). Former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 and reinstated sanctions against Iran. In response, Iran limited inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and increased uranium enrichment levels.

After the Trump administration ended and the Joe Biden administration took office, Iran and the six countries began talks to restore the nuclear deal starting in April of last year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.