TEHRAN — Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has ruled out the possibility of any revision of the Iran nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

In an online interview with IRNA on Saturday, Lavrov blamed the United States for the current situation the world is facing with regard to the JCPOA and supported Iran’s position on the deal.

Russia “does not back those who want to enter other questions than the nuclear issue,” he said.

Lavrov emphasized that “the JCPOA should not be revised.”

“There is a consensus that the present situation in the JCPOA is due to the U.S. unilateral withdrawal from the deal and imposition of the sanctions,” he said, adding that “Russia believes that the U.S. stance on the JCPOA is unconstructive.”

The JCPOA, which Iran signed with the U.S., Britain, France, China, Russia, and Germany in 2015, has been unraveling since President Donald Trump quit it in May 2018 and imposed sweeping sanctions under what his administration has called the “maximum pressure” campaign.

Lavrov said some politicians in the U.S. believe that they should prevent America from reaching any agreement with Iran.

The capacities of the JCPOA should be used to create a balance in commitments while Iran's interests should be served, he suggested.

He described the JCPOA as a “great achievement” that helped solve questions related to non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, adding, “Despite the U.S. provocative measures, Iran is faithful to its commitments, the faithfulness which are praised by the global community.”

In another interview with Iran’s state television and radio broadcaster on Saturday, Lavrov pointed to the assassination of Iran’s top nuclear scientist late last month, saying the international community is interested in the results of a probe into the case.

Russia resolutely denounced the scientist’s assassination at various levels, including an official statement by its Foreign Ministry, Lavrov said, according to TASS.

“We consider this murder as a provocation aimed at destabilizing the situation in the region, which is burdened with a large number of problems and contradictions and has seen years-long attempts of interference from the outside,” the Russian foreign minister remarked.

“I have heard that Iran has announced some results of the probe into this murder. When the Iranian side considers it possible, it will be important for everyone to learn the results the investigators have come to,” Lavrov added.

Fakhrizadeh, a senior nuclear and defense scientist, was assassinated in a small city east of Tehran on November 27.

His assassination could further hamper diplomatic efforts to salvage the JCPOA.

Iran has blamed Israel, which has carried out assassination operations against Iranian nuclear scientists over the past decade. Immediately after the assassination, Foreign Minister Zarif said in a tweet that the attack was carried out with “serious indications of Israeli role”.

MH/PA