TEHRAN – A Russian diplomatic source has reacted to remarks by the U.S. envoy for Iran on the talks in Vienna over reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, saying that the time has come for the U.S. to stop derailing the talks.

The Russian diplomatic source told the RIA Novosti news agency that Moscow hopes that Washington will stop deviating from the path of revitalizing the nuclear deal and bring about the revival of the pact, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Fars News reported. 

US Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley said on Saturday that the U.S. is focused on “other things.”

“Iran is not interested in a deal and we’re focused on other things,” he alleged, noting, “Right now we can make a difference in trying to deter and disrupt the provision of weapons to Russia and trying to support the fundamental aspirations of the Iranian people.”

“What’s the point?” the U.S. envoy said of the stalled talks, adding, “Why should we focus on it if Iran comes back with demands that are unacceptable? At this point we’re not going to focus on the nuclear deal because we can’t sort of keep going back and then being played.”

The Russian source reacted to Malley’s remarks, saying that “this is not a matter of choice. Americans must undo all the wrongs they have done before.”

The source continued, “From the other side of the ocean, statements are heard from time to time that question the adherence of the current American administration to its promises to return America to the JCPOA.”

The source said, “The Americans are definitely acting hastily and looking for a suitable excuse to deviate from the path of returning to the JCPOA, but this is not a matter of choice.”

The Russian diplomat stated that the United States is “obliged to adhere to Security Council Resolution 2231 and correct all violations of its obligations to UN Security Council resolutions.”

The Russian source stated, “The resolution presented against Iran in the November meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency is another element of tension between Washington and its European partners.”

The diplomatic source emphasized that months of efforts by experts in the form of the Vienna meetings proved that it is possible to revive the JCPOA in accordance with the parameters that were initially agreed upon.

The source also lambasted the lack of will on the part of the U.S., saying, “Our American colleagues do not have enough political will to take the final step towards finalizing the agreement in this field. We hope that they will stop muddying the waters and together we will finish the issue of revitalizing the nuclear deal.”

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has recently said that the JCPOA is at risk because of the behavior of the West, especially in regard to the West pushing for a censure resolution against Iran at the IAEA’s Board of Governors. 

“JCPOA fate is hanging by a thread. Things got worse after a group of states pushed the anti-#Iran resolution at #IAEA #BoG. A classic example that some don’t learn from experience,” Ryabkov said, according to the Russian foreign ministry. 

He added that Russia believes that with political will the agreement can be finalized fast.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Ministry Ali Bagheri Kani met in Moscow on Friday with his Russian counterpart Sergei Ryabkov.

Mikhail Ulyanov, the Russian ambassador to international organizations in Vienna who first broke the news on Twitter, said the two diplomats discussed the 2015 nuclear deal.

“Deputy heads of Foreign Ministries of #Russia and #Iran Mr. S. Ryabkov and Dr. A. Bagheri Kani met today in Moscow to discuss the prospects of full-scale implementation of the #JCPOA,” Ulyanov said.