News - Middle East: Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) say all parties to the Iran nuclear deal need to comply with their commitments as per the 2015 agreement.

Participants at the 22nd meeting of the Council of the SCO Heads of State in Uzbekistan's city of Samarkand issued a declaration on Friday, stressing the importance of fully implementing the multilateral nuclear deal, which was unilaterally abandoned by the United States three years after its conclusion.

"The member states place emphasis on the consistent implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the Iranian nuclear program, and in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2231, they call upon all participants to strictly abide by their commitments towards the full and effective implementation of the document," the Samarkand Declaration said.

The United States, under former President Donald Trump, abandoned the JCPOA in May 2018 and reinstated unilateral sanctions that the agreement had lifted.

Talks to salvage the agreement kicked off in the Austrian capital city of Vienna in April last year, months after Joe Biden succeeded Trump, with the intention of examining Washington’s seriousness in rejoining the deal and removing anti-Iran sanctions.

Despite notable progress, the US’s indecisiveness and procrastination caused multiple interruptions in the marathon talks.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Wednesday that the JCPOA revival is "possible" should the American side adopt a realistic approach in the negotiations.