Iran Not Favoring Protracted Talks in Vienna: FM

In comments at a meeting with Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon Nabih Berri, held in Beirut on Thursday evening, the Iranian foreign minister said Tehran is serious about reaching a good and sustainable deal in the course of the Vienna talks.

However, Amirabdollahian added, Iran does not favor protracted negotiations and will not allow its red lines to be crossed by any means.

Pointing to the latest regional and international developments, including the crisis in Ukraine, the foreign minister said Iran adopts clear and explicit stances without being influenced by the foreign actors.

“We oppose war, be it in Afghanistan, Yemen or Ukraine. At the same time, the imposition of unilateral sanctions by the Western countries is unacceptable to us,” Amirabdollahian underlined.

He reiterated that Iran encourages the parties involved in the Ukraine conflict to settle the crisis through political negotiations.

The foreign minister then highlighted Iran’s capabilities in the technical and engineering sectors, expressing Tehran’s readiness for cooperation in fulfilling Lebanon’s demands for energy, such as gas and electricity.

Iran is ready to promote economic and trade cooperation with the “friendly and brotherly” nation of Lebanon, he noted.

For his part, Berri blamed the electricity shortages in Lebanon on mismanagement, praising Iran for fulfilling its promise to ship fuel to Lebanon and aiding the Arab country in difficulty.

On the developments in Ukraine, the Lebanese Parliament speaker described the situation as a “European-European crisis” which harms the European states the most.

He further lashed out at certain Arab governments for the normalization of ties with the Zionist regime, saying they have betrayed the cause of the Arab nations.

Berri finally hailed Iran as the fountain of resistance in the region which inspires the resistance currents in the world.