TEHRAN -- Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has criticized the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for issuing an anti-Tehran resolution, which accused the country of withholding cooperation with the agency. President Raisi stated that the adoption of the resolution was a wrong move in the middle of the Vienna talks.
Raisi made the remarks in a late Saturday televised interview in which he addressed the nation on various domestic and international issues.
Raisi said the country will not stop negotiations on the removal of sanctions imposed on the country, adding that the other parties to the talks must return to their commitments under the 2015 deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Asked about the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell’s visit to Iran, Raisi noted, “Our policy is to have the sanctions removed and these sanctions must be removed as soon as possible, because they are unjust and against the commitments of the U.S. and Europe. The other side must return to its commitments. This path will be followed; we follow the path of thwarting the sanctions.”
The removal of sanctions was discussed during the EU foreign policy chief’s visit to Tehran.
The president said a headquarters has been set up under the direct command of the First Vice President Muhammad Mokhber to follow up on the removal of sanctions.
The president also described interaction with Iran’s neighboring countries as a “priority” of his administration’s foreign policy, saying adoption of the policy had resulted in a trade balance surplus of 450 percent for the country and increased trade with neighbors.
Iran has entered cooperation agreements with 18 countries, he stated, noting that these countries were now on the receiving end of $2.5-billion worth of technical and engineering services exported to them by the Islamic Republic.
The president said the first quarter of this year witnessed a 20-percent growth in the level of commercial cooperation with the neighborly states, the president added.
Sounding upbeat about the country’s oil exports and the resultant oil revenues, Raisi said, “At the present time, oil sales are in a good shape and we are doing our best to get the foreign exchange earned through oil and non-oil exports back to the country.”
The president finally added the situation is ripe for investment throughout the Islamic Republic, saying Tehran has entered into agreements that have paved the way for as much as 5-20 billion dollars worth of investment in the country.