TEHRAN - Mikhail Ulyanov, the Russian representative to international organizations in Vienna, asserted on Thursdays that there is still hope for the JCPOA to be revived and urged the West to further cooperation.

The Russian envoy reaffirmed his nation’s commitment to swiftly completing talks to reinstate the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) during his remarks at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors.

“We reiterate our strong commitment to completing the work on restoring the JCPOA to its original shape. The chances of reviving the nuclear deal are still there,” he underlined.

“We cannot afford to miss it by letting the process continue along the path of uncontrolled escalation,” Ulyanov added.

He further emphasized that the Western nations, not the Islamic Republic of Iran, were the ones lacking in readiness for effective action.

The Russian envoy also noted that “Iran is being accused of blocking the completion of negotiations on the restoration of the JCPOA. In the meantime, it is the Western countries that are not ready for this.”

“If they stopped obstructing the process, the grounds for concern about Iran's nuclear program would be eliminated,” he added.

According to Ulyanov, “the mood in the IAEA board of governors is affected by the standstill over the Vienna talks on the JCPOA.”