Russia announced - on Tuesday - progress in putting the final touches to revive the nuclear agreement with Iran, while Iran stressed that any delay in negotiations "may make it stronger."
The Russian "TASS" news agency quoted the Foreign Ministry as saying that the remaining points in an agreement aimed at reviving the nuclear agreement with Iran are being finalized.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier after a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian that Moscow had obtained written guarantees from Washington that the sanctions would not affect Russian cooperation with Iran in the nuclear field.
In a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart, Lavrov denied that Moscow was hindering reaching an agreement in Vienna, explaining that the final agreement in these negotiations had not yet obtained the approval of some concerned capitals, and Moscow was not among them.
Possible return
For his part, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that Russia currently believes that it is necessary to take into account the possible return to the nuclear agreement with Iran when dealing with the sanctions imposed on Moscow.
He said that the sanctions imposed on Russia directly affect its interests with the return of the nuclear agreement.
He pointed out that this consideration should not be neglected and should be taken into account, noting that this is Russia's position that is well known to the United States, stressing that the issue of continuing talks on the nuclear deal is very important for Russia.
Abdullahian (left) said that there is no connection between the current events in Ukraine and the friendship between his country and Russia (Reuters)
For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian made it clear that there is no connection between the current events in Ukraine and the friendship between his country and Russia and the development of the relationship between them, stressing that Russia does not obstruct the Vienna negotiations.
He added at a news conference in Moscow after talks with his Russian counterpart that the delay in the Vienna talks on the nuclear deal could make Iran stronger.
Abdullahian stressed that "Russia will be on Iran's side, as it has done in recent years, playing a positive role in the talks to reach a solid agreement," and demanded that Washington "reduce its exaggerated demands so that we can reach an agreement."
The American position
In Washington, a senior State Department official said - on Tuesday - that his country is continuing contacts with Russia about reviving the nuclear agreement, and that Moscow may now realize that sanctions related to Ukraine should not affect the implementation of the agreement.
The official, who asked not to be identified, added that Washington would not impose sanctions on Russia's participation in nuclear projects under the deal when it is fully implemented.
Moscow was accused of trying to block the negotiations after it demanded on March 5 for US guarantees that its future cooperation with Iran in the field of civil nuclear energy would not be affected by the sanctions imposed because of the Russian war on Ukraine.