Iran, Russia to discuss JCPOA situation, more in Moscow
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The Moscow talks are scheduled to be on August 31.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, right, and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian gesture during a joint news conference following their talks in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, March 15, 2022 (Maxim Shemetov/Pool Photo via AP)
The Russian Foreign Ministry revealed on Monday that its foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, alongside his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, will discuss the situation around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as well as Russian and Iranian projects in energy and transport at talks in Moscow scheduled for August 31.
"On August 31, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, will be in Moscow on a working visit, during which he will hold talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov," the statement said.
The ministry, furthermore, said that talks planned to continue an exchange of views on a number of domestic and international issues, including the JCPOA situation, the state affairs in Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, Transcaucasia and the Caspian Sea.
Read next: Tehran to announce its take on JCPOA deal after examining US response
"It is planned to discuss the bilateral agenda, first of all, its trade and economic component in the context of the implementation of key joint projects in the field of energy and transport, as well as the prospects for building up scientific, technical, cultural and humanitarian ties," it added.
Iran, Russia strengthen ties through food, carpets, banking & more
Iran and Russia have been warming up their relations, with reports in July revealing that Iran had become Russia's top customer in purchasing Russian wheat with 360,000 metric tonnes in deliveries according to data-intelligence company Kpler.
Read next: Iran, Russia meet to strengthen trade ties
Earlier this month, Russia launched an Iranian satellite into space, as a part of Iran's space program.
The two countries' close collaboration comes against a backdrop of targeted and comprehensive sanctions waged by the West against them, which has prompted closer cooperation in the long run. The US-led world order has only polarized alliances further.
The closer cooperation will ameliorate the aggressive impacts of the West-led sanctions on the two countries by locating new markets for their products and boosting military cooperation. Recently, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan called the ties a "profound threat".
Furthermore, bilateral trade has risen 10% between the two countries this year - in 2021, according to Russia, bilateral trade increased 80% higher, reaching $4 billion.
With food and military cooperation on the rise, there is also carpet and clothing trade with frequent Russian customers, doubling since February and now making up half the customer base.
Iran is also selling clothes to Russian buyers, replacing Western brands and automotive spare parts to Russian car makers.
Earlier this month, the Iranian Finance Ministry's banking and insurance department said Iran could join the Russian Mir payment system within months of when talks between Tehran and Moscow reach a conclusion - this, according to Qorban Eskandari, the department's head, could be in the very near future.
Last month, authorities in the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that they will soon begin to accept Mir cards for transactions. The development in economic relations came during rising reports that Tehran and Moscow were working on expanding economic relations to combat US sanctions.
Read more: Iran’s experience in facing sanctions available to Russia and may inspire it – Experts
On July 23, Iran's Currency Exchange (ICE) launched a currency pairing system that enables exporters and importers to make payments in both the Iranian rial and the Russian ruble.
