Russia to seek restoration of Iran nuclear deal

Moscow will persistently continue its efforts on restoration of the Iran nuclear deal, Russia's foreign minister said on Thursday. 

Speaking at a news conference in Tehran, Sergey Lavrov said there is no certainty that the US will return to the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal.

"We will seek the restoration of the JCPOA exclusively in its original configuration, as it was approved in 2015 by the resolution of the UN Security Council without extrications, without additions," Lavrov said.

He added that this means "all illegal anti-Iranian sanctions must be cancelled."

Asked about the grain export from Ukraine, Lavrov said that even the US and the international organizations admit that there is no direct connection between Russia's special military operation and the issue of international deliveries of the Ukrainian products.

Efforts by the UN and Türkiye on organizing grain export would have been successful long ago if Ukraine had solved the problem of clearing mines, he said.

"Russia, for its part, guarantees the safety of vessels, sailing from Ukrainian ports to the Bosphorus," he said.

The foreign minister condemned Israeli strikes at a civilian airport in Damascus, Syria. The attack made impossible the delivery of humanitarian aid, he said.

He recalled that Russia demanded from Israel to adhere to the UN resolution on the humanitarian assistance to Syria and raised the issues in the UN Security Council.

He promised that Moscow will pursue the line that Israel must refrain from such actions.

Asked about plans to create a united Israeli-Arab air defense system against Iran, Lavrov said it is one of the conflicting ideas promoted by the US.