PARIS (Reuters) – France, Britain, and Germany alerted Russia that Russia’s demand for Iran trade assurances could result in the dissolution of a near-completed nuclear accord.

The final stages have been reached by negotiators to restore the JCPOA agreement, which removed sanctions from Iran in exchange for curbs on Iran’s nuclear program. This deal was long considered by the West as an excuse for the development of atomic bombs.

Last Saturday, however, Sergei Lavrov (Russian Foreign Minister) demanded that Iran’s trade relations with Russia be protected from the sanctions placed on Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine.

“Nobody should try to use JCPOA negotiations in order to secure assurances that are distinct from the JCPOA,” France and Britain – also known as the E3 European Parties to the 2015 agreement – stated jointly.

They stated that this “risques the collapse” of the agreement.

They said that the deal should be completed as soon as possible.

Washington has repeatedly stated it is not going to comply with Russia’s demands.

This 11-month-old round of international negotiations aims to restore compliance by Iran with the agreement’s restrictive measures on Iran’s rapidly expanding nuclear activities. It also aims to return the United States to the accord it left under Donald Trump in 2018.

Oil market participants are monitoring the status of talks to find out if Iranian restrictions on crude oil exports may be lifted. This would help offset any disruptions caused by Russia’s war with Ukraine.