TEHRAN — In a phone conversation between Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov late on Monday, the two sides discussed bilateral relations, the Vienna talks, new developments in Ukraine and some other international issues.

Referring to the visit of the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi to Tehran, the two top diplomats stated that the IAEA is now on the right track of technical cooperation with Iran and a good agreement has been reached between Tehran and the Agency.

Amir Abdollahian said, “We are working seriously to reach a good and strong agreement in Vienna. Good progress has been made so far, but despite the progress, some issues have not yet been resolved in Vienna, which requires a political decision by the Western side.”

Emphasizing the need for an effective lifting of sanctions, the Iranian foreign minister stated that reaching an agreement in Vienna can expand the different fields of cooperation between Iran and other countries, including its partners.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Amir Abdollahian emphasized that Iran is against war and imposition of sanctions, and it is clear that cooperation between Iran and any country, including Russia, should not be affected by the atmosphere of sanctions.

The telephone conversation took place as Russia invaded Ukraine on February 14 and in response the West introduced sweeping sanctions against Russia.

Foreign Minister Lavrov stressed the need for cooperation between Iran and Russia in different fields, including various areas of trade.

Referring to the negotiation process and Russia's support for Iran's rational demands, he pointed to Moscow’s views in this regard.

Criticizing the sanctions imposed on Russia, Lavrov stressed the importance of cooperation between the two countries in all fields.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov emphasized that the resuscitation of the JCPOA should ensure that all its participants have equal rights regarding the unhindered development of cooperation in all areas without any discrimination.

The call came after Russia demanded guarantees from the United States that the sanctions being imposed by the West on Russia over Ukraine won’t impede Moscow’s economic and military cooperation with Iran in case the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is revived. 

Lavrov said on Saturday that the sanctions the West imposed on Russia will create a problem for the Iran nuclear deal and demanded written guarantees from the U.S. that these sanctions won’t impede Russia-Iran cooperation in case the JCPOA is revived.

“We want an answer - a very clear answer - we need a guarantee that these sanctions will not in any way touch the regime of trade-economic and investment relations which is laid down in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” the Russian foreign minister said.

He added, “We have asked for a written guarantee ... that the current process triggered by the United States does not in any way damage our right to free and full trade, economic and investment cooperation and military-technical cooperation with the Islamic Republic.”

The two sides also exchanged views on other regional and international issues, including the Ukraine crisis, the Astana process to resolve the Syrian issue and the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey.