MOSCOW (TASS) — Russia will continue efforts to ensure that the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program remain in place and are implemented, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

The statement said:

The efforts on preserving and ensuring sustainable implementation of JCPOA will continue […] The UN Security Council Resolution 2231 remains unchanged and the commitments arising from it must be fulfilled in the initially agreed mode and volume on the basis of the reciprocity principle by all states.

Moscow highlights that in August the UN Security Council’s members dismissed the US attempts to restore the UN’s anti-Iranian sanctions as void. In September, this stance was confirmed and Russia fully agrees with it, the Russian diplomats said:

To claim now that sanctions resolutions against Iran have been restored is wishful thinking. We hope that US colleagues will be brave enough to finally face the truth and stop speaking on behalf of the UN Security Council.

[…]

Illegitimate US initiatives and actions definitely cannot have international and legal consequences for other countries and create their obligations to limit legitimate cooperation with Iran.

However, Washington keeps speculating on this issue claiming that the UN has launched some procedures on restoring restrictions against Iran, it said. The Russian Foreign Ministry dismissed the US steps as a “theatre performance” aimed at turning the UN Security Council into Washington’s own tool of “maximum pressure” on Tehran.

The brazen behaviour contrary to JCPOA and UN Security Council Resolution 2231 becomes a serious blow from the United States to the authority of the UN Security Council, a manifestation of open disregard for its decisions and international law in general. This is unacceptable, not only for us, but also for other members of the Security Council […] It is not surprising that the gamble launched by the US side with the illegal "reset" of the old UN Security Council sanctions against Iran has failed.

On August 20, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo notified the UN Security Council about Washington’s plans to start restoring UN sanctions against Iran. According to the US, the sanctions may come into effect on September 20, despite the opposition of other UN Security Council’s member-states.

On September 11, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a press conference with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that Russia and China together with the majority of UNSC member-states did not accept US attempts to dismantle JCPOA.