• Russian Foreign Ministry: Lavrov and Amirabdollahian focused on the situation in Afghanistan.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, discussed via phone call today the Iranian nuclear agreement JCPOA and Afghanistan. 

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that Lavrov and Amirabdollahian discussed the bilateral agenda in the context of the agreements reached between the President Of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and the Iranian President of Ebrahim Raisi, on August 18. 

The statement said that the two parties focused their talk on the Afghanistan situation. Moreover, a more stabilized Afghanistan was a shared interest between the them, since it could ensure security in the region, according to the statement.

In addition, Lavrov and Amirabdollahian went over the JCPOA just before a new session of the Board of Governors for the International Atomic Energy Agency was held. 

The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that restoring the nuclear agreement in its basic and comprehensive form is the only correct approach to ensure the rights and interests of all parties involved.

Yesterday, Wednesday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stated that Washington is poised to leave the Iran nuclear agreement, stressing that time is running out for Iran.

On the other hand, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi stated last Sunday that the nuclear talks must take place concurrently with the lifting of all sanctions on Iran.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that Amirabdollahian and Lavrov discussed bilateral relations between the two states, the two countries' meetings on the Shanghai summit, strengthening cooperation in combating the Coronavirus, and facilitating procedures related to Iranian businessmen' visit to Russia. In addition, the developments in the region, initiatives regarding the Afghan issue, and the nuclear deal were also discussed.

Earlier today, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the situation in Afghanistan and said that the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan led to a new crisis - the crisis for sure will affect regional and international security, but how its effect will turn out is yet unclear, Putin commented.

In his speech at the BRICS (five major emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) summit today, Putin added that there is no end to old regional conflicts, but they are also powerfully revived.