The Kremlin's 90th-minute condition brought Amir Abdollahian to Moscow; Iran defends Russia's approach in the Vienna talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet and hold talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian in Moscow on Tuesday.

The two sides are reportedly discussing Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Vienna talks to revive the nuclear deal. Saeed Khatibzadeh, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, also confirmed on Monday that the focus of Amir Abdollahian's talks with Russian officials will be the Vienna talks and developments in Ukraine.

As diplomats say the Vienna nuclear talks are entering their final stages, Russia has made a new demand that has brought the talks to a standstill. If a deal is reached, Iran would scale back its nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions.

Moscow, which has faced widespread Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine, has said that the United States must guarantee that these sanctions will not affect Russia's trade relations with Iran.

Many figures in Iran have criticized Russia's new condition, which has become a new obstacle to the revival of the JCPOA, calling it a form of Russian interference in Iranian affairs. However, Saeed Khatibzadeh, in his press conference on Monday, called Russia's approach "to date" in the negotiations "constructive."

Regarding the relationship between Russia's new condition and the halt in the Vienna talks, Khatibzadeh said that Russia's request "should be discussed and negotiated in the Joint Commission of the JCPOA." The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, however, described the halt in the Vienna talks as "a short pause and respite."

The United States, rejecting Russia's new request, says Moscow cannot link sanctions related to the invasion of Ukraine to the Vienna nuclear talks.

The three countries of France, Britain, and Germany also previously issued a joint statement warning Russia that its demands to guarantee trade with Iran may lead to the failure of negotiations to revive the JCPOA.

The announcement of Abdollahian's trip to Russia comes as the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, March 12, citing a senior US government official, that Washington has asked Moscow to withdraw its request for the Vienna talks within a week, otherwise the US will seek alternative solutions, including an interim agreement with Iran.

Source: Voice of America