VIENNA, March 8. /TASS/. Chances of restoring the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) for the Iranian nuclear program remain and Russia is determined to continue negotiations to complete the work as soon as possible, Russia’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, said 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 said. "We cannot afford to miss it by letting the process continue along the path of uncontrolled escalation," Ulyanov stressed.

At the same time, he pointed out that not the Islamic Republic of Iran, but the states of the West were not ready for constructive action.

"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," Ulyanov stated. "If they stopped obstructing the process, the grounds for concern about Iran's nuclear program would be eliminated."

Ulyanov explained that "the deadlock over the Vienna talks on the JCPOA affects the mood in the IAEA board of governors."

"Those who just recently declared that there was no alternative to the JCPOA are now less unambiguous. In the meantime, a clear position in favor of restoring the JCPOA is in great demand," he pointed out. Leaks of any sensitive information regarding IAEA safeguards to the media are unacceptable, the Russian envoy believes.

"We have taken note of the wise choice of the agency (IAEA - TASS) and Iran not to succumb to provocations, to adhere to settlement protocols and to continue cooperation," Ulyanov summed up.

The JCPOA was signed with Iran in 2015 in order to overcome the crisis over its nuclear research by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany. The previous president of the United States, Donald Trump, withdrew from this agreement in 2018. The current US leader, Joe Biden, has repeatedly signaled his willingness to bring Washington back into the nuclear deal. Since April 2021, Russia, Britain, Germany, China, the United States and France have been in talks with Iran in Vienna with the aim to restore the JCPOA to its original shape.

On November 10, 2022, IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said that the next round of negotiations with Iranian representatives ended in the Austrian capital inconclusively. On March 6, 2023, speaking at a press conference after a meeting of the IAEA board of governors, Grossi expressed hope for early restoration of the dialogue with Iran, including that on the high level of uranium enrichment by Tehran.