Lavrov: US acts against all int'l principles

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the US measures with regard to Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), are against all international principles and criteria.

Speaking in a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Lavrov said the US forces other countries not to implement their commitments in the framework of the nuclear deal.

This is while the US insists that Iran should fully implement its voluntary commitments under the JCPOA, he added.

He urged Western partners to accept the realities of the JCPOA.

Lavrov said that due to the US acts and discontinuous measures taken by the European Union, the JCPOA is about to collapse.

Thanks to Washington's unconstructive policies, important achievements of international diplomacy are in danger, he reiterated.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Lavrov described as ideal the US implementation of its commitments and Iran's returning to its commitments.

In the meantime, international commitments, including IAEA safeguards and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, will remain valid, he said.

Russia supported French President Emmanuel Macron's suggestion on Iran deal and hails Japan's initiative for preserving the JCPOA.