Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov blasted attempts by the United States to selectively interpret the contents of the nuclear deal on Iran in its favor, saying they could lead to serious consequences.
Ryabkov said that he considered "outrageous" US attempts to selectively interpret in its favor certain provisions of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), including on the restoration of UN Security Council sanctions against Tehran.
"These actions are out of line with Resolution 2231. And if these actions are continued, it will inevitably lead to a serious crisis of the UN Security Council and undermine its authority", Ryabkov said during an online discussion on Russian-US relations organized by the Council on Foreign Relations.
In May, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif highlighted the essence of UN Security Council resolution 2231 and urged US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to peruse it.
On 26 April, the New York Times reported, citing sources in the Trump administration, that Washington was harboring plans of claiming that the US formally remains a participating nation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) accord, which it unilaterally withdrew from in 2018. Invoking the provision, wrote the outlet, would seek to either force an extension of the arms embargo against Iran or re-impose harsher sanctions.
In 2015, Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, and the European Union. It required Iran to scale back its nuclear program and severely downgrade its uranium reserves in exchange for sanctions relief, including lifting the arms embargo five years after the deal's adoption. On 8 May 2018, the United States abandoned its conciliatory policy on Iran, withdrawing from the JCPOA and hitting Iranian petroleum industries with sanctions.