JCPOA Revival Not Out of Reach: Iranian FM
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Hailing the recent release of Iran’s frozen foreign assets as a positive breakthrough, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said it is conceivable that the parties to the 2015 nuclear deal would resume honoring their commitments.
In a telephone conversation with the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Tuesday, Amirabdollahian criticized the European Union's continuation of its "ineffective" sanction policy towards Iran.
"Sanctions are an unfriendly measure in the relations between the Islamic Republic and Europe," Amirabdollahian said.
"Know this that Europe does not stand to benefit from the continuation of this situation (implementation of the sanction policy towards Iran)," the foreign minister added.
He said Iran considers the release of its blocked assets as a positive development, noting that if the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) parties show serious will, their return to their commitments under the deal won’t be out of reach.
The United States returned its sanctions against Iran in 2018 after leaving the JCPOA, an agreement between the Islamic Republic and world countries that would keep the bans lifted in exchange for some voluntary changes in Tehran's nuclear energy program.
Bowing under American pressure, the EU has been toeing the US's sanction line against Iran ever since Washington's departure from the deal.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Amirabdollahian hailed that Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) were on "the right track of cooperation,” Press TV reported.
He also addressed the West's accusations against the Islamic Republic of providing drones to Russia for application in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
"The accusation of application of Iranian drones against Ukraine is completely baseless," the foreign minister said, adding, "Ukraine has not presented us with any reliable evidence for this claim either."
"The Islamic Republic does not stand on ceremony when it comes to its foreign policy positions," Amirabdollahian said. "In the same way that the Islamic Republic has clearly announced that it backs Palestine, it similarly clarifies that it supports the political approach concerning the war in Ukraine," he added.
For his part, Borrell said he believed that some existing misunderstandings between Iran and the EU could be "resolved through dialog."
The European official further underlined the importance of cooperation between Iran and the IAEA, adding that he would do his utmost to return all parties to the JCPOA.
