The Russian permanent representative in Vienna warned of an uncontrolled escalation due to problems with the JCPOA.

The uncertain situation with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) may lead to an uncontrolled escalation. Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna, said this in an interview with Izvestia.

Iran and the atom: US in no hurry to return to nuclear deal with Tehran

The United States is pursuing a policy of maximum pressure on the Islamic Republic

"The current uncertain situation with the JCPOA is fraught with the risk of uncontrolled escalation. Therefore, we see the best way forward in the return of the main players to the negotiating table. To do this, it is necessary, first of all, that the new US administration formulate its approaches and show willingness to participate in the negotiation process," the permanent representative noted.

The diplomat pointed out that the current increase in Iran's highly enriched uranium reserves is not considered critical, as production remains under the effective control of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

"We see the threat to the nuclear nonproliferation regime not in uranium enrichment, but in the inability of the main parties involved to find a common language and move from megaphone diplomacy to genuine diplomacy," Ulyanov said.

The nuclear deal was signed in 2015 by Iran, Russia, the United States, Britain, France, China and Germany. It assumed the lifting of anti-Iranian sanctions in exchange for Tehran's limitation of its nuclear program. However, in 2018, the United States unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA, reimposing sanctions on Tehran. In response, Iran began phasing out a number of its obligations under the agreement.

Read more in Mikhail Ulyanov's exclusive interview with Izvestia:

"The uncertain situation with the JCPOA is fraught with the risk of uncontrolled escalation"