Iran’s Foreign Policy Tied Neither to West Nor to East: FM
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran has adopted strategies to neutralize the cruel and unilateral sanctions and at the same time sticks to the course of dignified diplomacy to have them lifted without pinning its hopes on the West or East to fulfill its national interests, the foreign minister said.
Addressing a conference held in Damghan in Iran’s northern province of Semnan on Friday, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said Iran will never cross its red line and will always pursue restoration of the nation’s absolute rights in the talks aimed at the removal of sanctions.
The foreign minister said Iran would never tie its interests to China, the United States, Russia, and Europe, but would cooperate with any country in the East and the West that meets its national interests based on mutual respect.
Amirabdollahian said European countries should respect the noble, civilized and cultured Iranian nation since mutual respect would benefit both sides, Press TV reported.
Pointing to Washington’s move to waive sanctions to allow the transfer of $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds from South Korea to Qatar, Amirabdollahian said the money would be released within the framework of the SWIFT, the global provider of secure financial messaging services.
The top diplomat said based on the agreement reached between Tehran and Washington, Iran can use the money to meet its needs.
He further censured the lack of commitment on the part of the three European parties to the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), after the US withdrawal under then President Donald Trump in 2018.
He warned that Europe's “playing with time” and imposing sanctions on Iranian individuals would not go unanswered.
“We do not leave the opposite sides' moves unanswered. They cannot ask for negotiations on the one hand, and pressure Iran by repeating and continuing wrong policies on the other.”
The minister expressed regret over a decision by Britain, France, and Germany to retain their ballistic missile- and nuclear-related sanctions against Iran in violation of the JCPOA. “Unfortunately, the three European countries seek to escape forward by applying false pressure.”
He said instead of remaining committed to their obligations after the US withdrawal, the trio have been playing with time and using it as a tool to refrain from taking even one step towards their commitments.
He said sanctions would have no impact on Iran's will and only prove the US has not abandoned its excessive demands.