Negotiators Carefully Observing Iran’s Red Lines in JCPOA Revival Talks, FM Says
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said the country will not budge even an iota on its red lines during ongoing talks aimed at revival of the 2015 nuclear deal and lifting of anti-Iran sanctions.
Speaking on Wednesday during an address to the Assembly of Experts, Iran's top leadership supervisory body, the top diplomat assured that while partaking in the talks, the Iranian government was carefully observing "the lines that have been drawn by Leader of the Islamic Revolution (Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei)" towards neutralization of the sanctions in parallel with the negotiation process.
The red lines "are subject of emphasis by President (Ebrahim Raisi)," Amirabdollahian said, adding, "The Foreign Ministry (too) is following the same path seriously and strongly."
The United States, under Trump, left the nuclear deal in 2018, returning the sanctions that it had lifted.
The Austrian capital of Vienna has been hosting many rounds of talks since last year to examine the prospect of the deal's restoration and removal of the inhumane and illegal sanctions.
Describing the government's economic performance, Amirabdollahian also said the administration was not tying up the country's economy and the Iranian people's livelihood with the issue of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal's official title, and potential removal of the sanctions.
The foreign minister then turned to the issue of Iran's status as a major regional and international player, saying that "no party is able to ignore the role and important position of the Islamic Republic of Iran in any regional security and political arrangement."
He also hailed that the country's foreign policy was following a "very hopeful" and "forward-looking" trend across the various political, economic, commercial, cultural, and security fields.
Regarding the issue of the Islamic Republic's economic ties with the outside world, Amirabdollahian said the Iranian government was leading a "balanced foreign policy," which prioritizes ties with the country's neighbors as well as Asian countries.
The foreign minister also noted that all of the United States' efforts aimed at setting up new political and security arrangements in the region that would factor the Islamic Republic out "have resulted in defeat."