Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that remaining signatories to the JCPOA should know that they have limited time for saving the deal.

“The path of diplomacy is still open but it is getting more narrow by the day; remaining signatories to the JCPOA should know that they have limited time if they are serious about saving the JCPOA,” he said.

Araghchi made the remarks in a 4-hour-long meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Ryabkov in Moscow.

Condemning US’s unilateral policies and Europe’s inability to fulfill its obligations, Araghchi added that “if Iran’s demands are not met, the Islamic Republic will continue scaling down its commitments according to Paragraph 36 of the agreement; nobody should doubt Iran’s determination.”

He also said Tehran welcomes any initiative which would lead to a peaceful settling of disputes, noting, “such an initiative is acceptable only if would be balanced and realistic and ensure Iran’s interests.”

For his part, Ryabkov said that US withdrawal from JCPOA was a violation of UNSC Resolution 2231. He said that Russia supports the JCPOA as an achievement of multilateralism and continues its contacts with other signatories to the deal to save the agreement.

Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement about the meeting that “Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to fulfilling the comprehensive agreements made in 2015 and to strictly complying with the JCPOA obligations, taking into consideration the precise balance of interests and the principle of reciprocity that the JCPOA is based on.”

“The officials emphasized the common intention to preserve the agreements and support constructive initiatives and efforts aimed at sustaining integrity and providing for the long-term stable implementation of the JCPOA as well as de-escalation in the [Persian] Gulf region,” added the statement.