Russian FM: Iran Nuclear Deal in Danger of ‘Falling Apart’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned on Monday that the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – the nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 countries (China, France, Russia, the UK, the US, and Germany) – was in danger of “falling apart” without the full compliance of the US and EU. Lavrov’s remarks came after he met with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, in Moscow. THE JCPOA lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for limits on its nuclear program. The Trump Administration withdrew from the accord last year and imposed crippling economic sanctions on Iran, preventing it from selling crude oil abroad. “Because of the destructive line that Washington keeps towing, this important achievement of international diplomacy … is in danger of falling apart,” Lavrov said, adding that “colleagues from the European Union” were not fully complying with the agreement either. In response to US sanctions, Iran itself has moved away from full compliance with the terms of the agreement. Unless all parties adhere to the agreement, Lavrov said, it should be considered “no longer existing.”