Lavrov, Zarif, Seek Salvaging Iran's Nuclear Deal, Syrian Presence

Russian FM Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif will meet on Monday in Moscow to discuss the preservation of the Iran nuclear deal following President Trump's withdrawal and renewal of US sanctions. They will also discuss overcoming Israeli resistance to Iran's military presence in Syria, TASS reported Monday.

Zarif is on a tour of the JCPOA signatories who have not abandoned the deal, to hold consultations on salvaging it. On May 13, Zarif visited China, and his next stop after his talks with Lavrov will be Brussels, where he will meet with EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini and top German, French and British diplomats.

Lavrov and Zarif will discuss the situation in Syria, which has deteriorated on May 10 after Israel had delivered a deadly retaliatory strike on Iranian military positions in Syria, after Iran had shot 20 missiles in the direction of Israel's border. The exacerbation of relations between Israel and Iran over Syria has sparked Moscow’s concern, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.