Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that everyone is concerned about the fate the 2015 nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Addressing the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Putin said, “The United States’ withdrawal from the agreement has significantly impeded its implementation, and has had a negative effect on the overall situation in nuclear non-proliferation.” 

“We believe that the only reasonable solution is for all signatories to continue honoring their commitments under the Plan, and this is what Russia is set to do,” he said.

On May 8, Iran announced a partial withdrawal from some aspects of the pact, saying that the country would no longer adhere to some of the limits on its nuclear activities. It also threatened to step up uranium enrichment if an agreement is not made within 60 days to shield it from the sanctions’ effects.

Under the JCPOA, Iran agreed to put caps on its nuclear work in exchange for termination of economic and financial sanctions. However, Trump unilaterally pulled Washington out of the nuclear deal in May 2018 and ordered reimposition of sanctions against Iran. The first round of sanctions went into force on August 6 and the second round, which targets Iran’s oil exports and banks, were snapped back on November 4.

Also, on April 22 the U.S. announced that Washington has decided not to extend waivers allowing major importers to continue buying oil from Iran. The waivers ended on May 2.

Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a statement on June 7 denouncing the unilateral sanctions imposed by the U.S. against Iran.

NA/PA