Iranian FM Slams US’ New Demands in JCPOA Talks
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – There is no logical justification for the US to put forward new demands in the Vienna talks on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, the Iranian foreign minister said, emphasizing that the effective removal of sanction must not be affected by the US' excessive demands.
In a telephone conversation on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and EU Foreign Policy Chief and senior coordinator of the Vienna talks Josep Borrell talked about the latest results and the trend of the Vienna talks to remove anti-Iran sanctions as well as some other international issues of mutual interest, including the Ukraine crisis.
Borrell said the Vienna negotiations are at a critical juncture and now the US and Iran must show more flexibility in their message exchanges and must try to overcome the time limit, the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s website reported.
He also noted that the economic guarantees are important for Iran and the EU supports this, adding, “You and we will continue our efforts to reach a deal because we have come a long way. You Iranians are tough and highly capable negotiators.”
The Iranian foreign minister, for his part, thanked the EU foreign policy chief and senior coordinator of the Vienna talks for his efforts and the progress made so far.
Amirabdollahian said, “If all sides behave realistically, we are still close to reaching a good and robust deal.”
The top Iranian diplomat underlined that the making of new demands by the US has no logical justification and this is at odds with the country’s stance on swiftly reaching an agreement.
Amirabdollahian added that the main issues and sanctions removal must not be affected by the excessive demands on the part of the US.
He also said the US cannot convey a new and different message to the Iranian negotiating team through the coordinator under the pretext of being under the pressure of the American public opinion.
“If the US faces a problem in terms of public opinion, I should say that we also face the problem of public opinion in Iran (and) they are monitoring the developments very closely and carefully and seek answers from the government and demand it get the sanctions lifted and preserve a highly peaceful nuclear energy,” he stated.
Amirabdollahian also underscored that issues related to Iran’s national heroes are non-negotiable.
Elsewhere in his comments, the Iranian foreign minister outlined the principled position of Iran regarding the Ukraine crisis, saying, “We believe, while considering the UN Charter, that the root cause of this crisis must be addressed so that lasting stability and security are established in the region through halting the war and focusing on political solutions.”