MOSCOW (Sputnik) Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the Iran nuclear deal as well as the situation in the Middle East, particularly in Syria, with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

"A discussion was held on the situation in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] for the Iranian nuclear program. Some issues of Russian-EU relations were touched upon," the ministry said in a statement after a meeting between Lavrov and Borrell at the Munich Security Conference.

Lavrov's meeting with Zarif also took place on the sidelines of the conference. The two foreign ministers discussed the strengthening of multifaceted Russian-Iranian cooperation, among other issues.

"An in-depth exchange of views also took place on a number of issues on the international agenda, including the situation in Syria and issues related to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement after the meeting.

The JCPOA, often referred to as the Iran nuclear deal, was signed in 2015 by Iran, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, and the United States. However, in May 2018, the United States pulled out of the agreement, which aimed to curb Iran's nuclear activity, and re-introduced sanctions against Tehran - a move that triggered criticism from European countries.

Iran started to gradually reduce its JCPOA commitments in May 2019. 

In January of this year, the country's government announced that it was discontinuing all remaining obligations under JCPOA. However, Tehran said it was ready to return to fulfilling its obligations if sanctions were lifted and was going to continue cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).