Speaking after talks in Tehran with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javaz Zarif, on Tuesday, Lavrov said the European sanctions could undermine the negotiations in the Austrian capital to revitalize the nuclear deal in the Austrian capital.

“We expect that it will be possible to preserve the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),” said the top Russian diplomat, adding, “As far as we understand, our partners in Tehran have expressed their readiness to immediately move in that direction” if Washington returns to compliance with the deal it abandoned.

However, he added, the latest EU sanctions gave rise to “a huge amount of questions.”

“If there is any kind of coordination lacking in the EU and the right hand is not aware of what the left hand is doing, that’s simply unfortunate,” Lavrov said. “But if this decision has been deliberately taken amid the talks continuing in Vienna to rescue the JCPOA then it is not just unfortunate — this is a mistake that is worse than a crime.”

“I hope our European colleagues understand that such actions are unacceptable and will take measures not to allow the talks to be derailed,” the top diplomat added.

Zarif, for his part, lashed out at the Europeans imposing sanctions on Iran instead of condemning America’s economic terrorism against 82 million Iranians and Sunday’s incident at Natanz nuclear facility.

The sanctions, he added, only make the world realize that the EU “has no status [of its own] in the world, and that it is not only a follower of American policies, but also a follower of the most extremist groups in the United States and the Zionist regime.”

“This is a reason for Europe to be ashamed. It is definitely a destructive action and we will definitely respond to this action,” the top Iranian diplomat said.

Zarif advised the Europeans to “think about their dignity. Europe should know that it is not in a superior moral position. Europe cannot preach to the world. A Europe, where xenophobia and anti-Islamism have created terrible conditions for Muslims, has neither the reputation nor the position to sanction the Iranian authorities.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Zarif said that what happened at Natanz nuclear facility was “a terrorist stupidity” aimed at undermining Iran’s leverage in the talks on the JCPOA’s revival.

“I assure you that in the near future, Natanz will definitely move forward with more advanced and powerful centrifuges. If the Israelis thought that they could stop Iran from following up on the removal of sanctions imposed on the Iranian people, then they made a very bad gamble,” he noted.

The Iranian foreign minister also warned that Israel will receive a response if Iran’s investigations hold the regime responsible for the Natanz incident.

He further urged the U.S. to understand that sanctions cannot serve as a means of getting concessions.

Earlier Foreign ministers of Iran and Russia signed Tuesday an agreement on cultural cooperation and setting up cultural center.

The two foreign ministers also set framework for activities of the cultural centers.

Meanwhile later, President Hassan Rouhani in the meeting with Lavrov  that letting the Zionist regime as a destabilizing tension-creating element into the Persian Gulf region is a dangerous move.

Stressing the necessity to counter US unilateralism through expansion of regional cooperation, President Rouhani welcomed the cooperation with the goal of helping the establishment of peace and stability in the region as a strategic move against US unilateralism and interference in regional countries affairs.

Saying that the security, peace, and stability of the region should be provided by the regional countries, the Iranian president stressed Iran-Russia defense and military cooperation, with regard to the termination of Iran’s arms embargo in October 2020.

Referring to good relation between Tehran and Moscow in political and regional fields, Rouhani stressed strengthening economic relations and acceleration and implementation of joint projects in oil, energy, and transportation, as well as cooperation for building two nuclear power plants in Bushehr.

He also referred to Russia’s success in making the COVID-19 vaccine and called for faster shipment of the vaccine to Iran and the launching of a production line in Iran.

Russian foreign minister said in the meeting that there is no limitation for the expansion of relations between Tehran and Moscow, including defense and technology.

Lavrov said that Iran and Russia have common and close goals about international and regional cooperation.

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According To Iran News, Some European and NATO countries cannot turn to Russia for help in the fight against the coronavirus because their “big brothers” are against it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

“We know from various sources that a number of countries in Europe, the European Union and NATO, would not mind repeating the Italian experience and contacting us for certain types of assistance in which we really have good comparative advantages, but their ‘big brothers’ don’t allow it,” Lavrov said, TASS reported.

Moscow does not consider it necessary to create “narrow circles of like-minded people” parallel to international organizations, Lavrov added. The diplomat believes that during the coronavirus pandemic, the role of nation-states has increased dramatically, this is evident throughout the world.

According to him, countries are trying to rely more on themselves in the fight against the spread of coronavirus. In addition, fatigue from an obsessive supranational bureaucracy is revealed, which is now “absolutely obvious” in the European Union. As the minister pointed out, fierce disputes are ongoing inside the association over who will be responsible for overcoming this crisis.

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According To Iran News, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Washington has strongly rejected a proposal on the exemption of humanitarian supplies from sanctions during the coronavirus pandemic.

He made the remarks in a video conference with the Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund’s delegates on Tuesday.

According to Tass News Agency, Russia’s top diplomat emphasized that illegal unilateral sanctions amid the pandemic deal a heavy blow to citizens in a range of states, first of all Iran, Syria and North Korea. According to Lavrov, these countries cannot purchase equipment, medicines and special protection gear because “the Western states, first of all the US, have strongly rejected a proposal on declaring a humanitarian pause and exempting the supplies of goods needed to combat the pandemic from any sanctions.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier called on the G20 to lift sanctions against other countries in order to effectively combat the coronavirus spread. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet also backed the idea of canceling or suspending sanctions amid the pandemic.

Hegemony and dominance policy

Coronavirus has posed a serious challenge to all countries, and under such circumstances, the policy of hegemony and dominance is particularly inappropriate, Sergey Lavrov stated. “The coronavirus infection, which has become a serious challenge for all states and many international organizations, of course, should encourage us to reflect on what is going on in the world and reflect on how we should live further to ensure a peaceful, safe and stable future for all of humanity,” Lavrov said.

According to Lavrov, it has long become clear that humanity lives in an interdependent and interconnected world, and the pandemic has exposed that.

“This being so, collective approaches to international relations are essential. The concepts and practices of hegemony and dominance are totally inappropriate in the 21st century,” Lavrov stressed.

Development of multipolar world order

No one can stop a multipolar world order from emerging because it is a natural process and attempts to do so are bound to fail, the Russian foreign minister believes.

According to Lavrov, a polycentric world order is being formed as a number of economies grow and new financial centers emerge naturally. “Attempts to hinder this process are bound to fail from the standpoint of history. The countries that ruled the international stage for half a millennium now see their rivals getting stronger and they clearly seek to maintain their privileged position. Various methods are being employed to that end, including dirty ones,” the Russian top diplomat said.

“However, I would like to reiterate that attempts to hinder the natural development of a multipolar world order are bound to fail. There are many facts proving that countries are coming to realize this, which include the formation of the G20 group. It involves G7 members and BRICS countries because cooperation and consensus between them are crucial for resolving pressing global economic, financial and political issues,” Lavrov emphasized.

He added that other groups and organizations that involved Russia were also based on consensus. In this regard, he mentioned the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

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“Problems in Iran are very serious, to a large extent because of the US sanctions that were imposed on that country absolutely illegally, because the Americans withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal and are seeking to make others implement it,” he told the Mediterranean Dialogues (MED) conference in Rome on Friday.

Lavrov also noted that the US scheme, which is meant to provoke public disconnect in Iran, was also used in Venezuela.

“If the US wants Iran economy to be pressured and instigate people’s discontent, we see such a scheme being used in Venezuela. It is a pattern.”

In May 2018, the US scrapped the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that had been endorsed by the UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

Since then, the administration of US President Donald Trump has unleashed the “toughest ever” sanctions against Tehran, notably targeting its key oil exports.

In mid-November, the Iranian government rationed fuel in order to prevent the country from becoming reliant on gasoline imports in the future amid the US economic sanctions.

The move prompted protests in a number of cities that went largely peaceful, but turned violent when armed riotous elements took advantage of the situation to vandalize public and state property, and attack civilians and security forces alike.

Many of the rioters were found to have links to the US spy agency CIA as well as terrorist groups, royalists and separatists.

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However, Washington’s position on this issue is “uncertain” though Russia repeatedly suggested to start dialogue on extending the treaty for five years as envisaged by the document, he added.

“They say that the extension of this treaty is unlikely, then they state that it is impossible to do it considering new types of weapons, especially hypersonic weapons that Russian President Vladimir Putin talked about in his last year’s address to the Federal Assembly. However, those who are familiar with the text of this treaty know that it does not include those types of weapons. If the US is interested in discussing aspects of strategic stability and arms control that supersede the treaty, they should have long ago responded to invitations that we sent out to resume dialogue on all aspects of strategic stability — offensive and defensive — on a regular basis,” Lavrov said.

“This is a very important balance that was reflected in the New START and that was seriously undermined when the US withdrew from the treaty on missile defense. In other words, we can discuss many things v that’s what makes it a dialogue on strategic stability, that we can raise any issues that present a threat to strategic stability itself, for which the US and Russia bear main responsibility in the world.”

Moscow has repeatedly offered Washington to improve bilateral relations in the spheres of strategic stability and economy, Lavrov said, Tass reported.

“Of course, our relations with the US are undermined. Unfortunately, this process continues. We are not begging to be friends. However, our proposals on how to improve bilateral relations have been repeatedly extended to our American colleagues, including during the meetings between the presidents and at my meetings with US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, as well as with US National Security Advisor John Bolton,” Lavrov said. “Those proposals concern spheres of strategic stability, as well as economic, trade and investment cooperation, and cooperation between political analysts and civil society experts on issues that are important for bilateral relations between Moscow and Washington.”

Russia and the US have “many common interests in the world, as well as many common responsibilities,” Lavrov said, stressing that developing relations in trade, economy, culture and humanitarian sphere would benefit both countries.

“Unfortunately, despite intentions to normalize relations with Russia that have been confirmed many times by US President Donald Trump and other key officials, nothing positive is happening at the practical level. The ‘downward’ trend continues,” the foreign minister said. “Our American colleagues continue to impose unilateral sanctions, without even trying to justify this. It contradicts the attitude that the US president projects,” he added.

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The top diplomats met today to discuss international problems, including the situation surrounding the nuclear deal, the Syrian settlement, as well as the situation in the Persian Gulf, Yemen and Afghanistan.

Zarif, who had visited a number of regional, European and East Asian countries in the past two weeks, traveled to Moscow late Sunday in continuation of the Islamic Republic’s talks with partners to find solutions to preserve the JCPOA.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also departed Tehran for Paris on Monday to hold talks with French officials regarding the issue.

Iran warned on Monday the European signatories of the nuclear deal that it will not hesitate to take the third step in reducing its commitments under the agreement if they once again fail to meet its demands.

Frustrated with Europe’s lack of action, Iran announced earlier this year that it would cut back on its JCPOA commitments using the mechanisms defined in the deal if its demands are not met after a 60-day ultimatum that started in May.

As a first step, Iran increased its enriched uranium stockpile to beyond the 300 kilograms set by the JCPOA. Next, it announced that it had begun enriching uranium to purity rates beyond the JCPOA-limit of 3.76 percent.

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He went on to say that during this visit which is being made on the eve of Astana summit, required arrangements regarding regional issues, with a special focus on Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Israeli aggression against Lebanon.

Referring to the status of Iran nuclear deal, Zarif said that he has held talks last week with his Chinese counterpart on the issue and will confer on the latest development of JCPOA with FM Sergey Lavrov here in Russia.

Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian also accompanies Zarif in Moscow as the head of Iran-Russia joint economic commission.

The Moscow visit comes in continuation of Zarif’s recent Asian tour to China, Japan and Malaysia. He had been on tours to Southern Persian Gulf countries of Qatar and Kuwait followed by a Scandinavian tour to Finland, Norway and Sweden before the latest East and Southeast Asian tour. The European tour ended with his double visits to France at the invitation of his French counterpart.

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“The situation has reached a dangerous point fraught with the risk of a large-scale military clash. This cannot be allowed to happen,” he said.

Tensions have been running high between the US and Iran since Washington unilaterally withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal last year. Washington has since been imposing rounds of sanctions on Tehran and its trade partners.

Lavrov called on Iran to exercise restraint and the UK, France and Germany to meet their obligations under the Iran nuclear deal.

This is while the situation between the US and Iran has been worsening since early May this year, when the US ordered the accelerated deployment of a strike group to the Persian Gulf, citing an alleged threat from Iran.

later in May, four oil tankers were allegedly sabotaged in the Emirati port of Fujairah. In early June, two other oil tankers were damaged by explosions in the Gulf of Oman. The US blamed both incidents on Iran. Tehran dismissed any involvement and said the incidents were “suspicious,” an indication that it believed the US may have been staging a false flag.

On June 20, a US spy drone and another, crewed aircraft entered Iranian airspace. Iranian air defense forces shot the drone down but chose not to target the manned plane.

Later, the UK seized a supertanker carrying Iranian oil near Gibraltar, alleging that it was violating unilateral European Union sanctions by carrying crude for Syria. While Iran denied that the ship was bound for Syria, it condemned the seizure.

Tehran later impounded a British-flagged ship in the Strait of Hormuz for failing to stop after hitting an Iranian fishing boat, a violation of international maritime rules.

London has since called for the formation of a European-led mission to the Persian Gulf to ensure “safe passage” in the region. Washington has also announced its own separate plans to form an international military coalition in the Persian Gulf.

Britain and the US have yet to provide specific plans for the announced missions.

On Tuesday, Moscow dismissed Washington’s plan for a maritime coalition, publishing its own “concept of collective security” seeking to lessen tensions in the volatile maritime region. According to the document, the initiative seeks to create a mechanism whereby Persian Gulf security would be ensured by the mutual cooperation of regional nations while disavowing permanent foreign military presence.

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Warning that such measures would “be very regrettable,” Lavrov said he expects that Europe will be committed to the UN Security Council’s resolutions.

“As far as the prospects of preserving the JCPOA are concerned, here a lot depends on the Europeans,” The Russian foreign minister stressed.

On May 8, 2018, the United States unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA and reimposed a number of economic sanctions on Iran, seeking to fully halt its oil exports.

Following the US move, European signatories of the nuclear deal claimed they were trying to keep the accord alive by launching a trade mechanism called Instrument for Supporting Trade Exchanges (INSTEX). However, the long-awaited mechanism is yet to become operational.

Getting tired of the inaction by the European parties the deal in the face of the growing US pressure, Iran reduced its commitments under the deal on May 8, giving the five remaining parties to the nuclear deal a 60-day ultimatum to comply with their commitments, particularly those regarding Iran’s economic interests in the banking and energy sectors.

Tehran has warned the EU that it would consider leaving the accord after 60 days if its demands were not met.

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