TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian says Iran would only accept a ‘sustainable agreement’ that would secure its red lines in the course of talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, which was unilaterally abandoned by the United States three years after its conclusion.

Speaking in a meeting in Belgrade with Iranian nationals residing in Serbia, Amir-Abdollahian said, “We do not seek an agreement that is not sustainable and fails to benefit Iranians. Our red lines are definitely nothing but guaranteeing the interests of the Iranian nation.” He also said despite the West’s unfair sanctions, Iran is in a good condition regarding its oil and non-oil exports.

The talks to salvage the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), kicked off in the Austrian capital of Vienna in April last year with the intention of examining Washington’s seriousness in rejoining the deal and removing anti-Iran sanctions.

The talks remain stalled since August, while Washington has continued to insist on its hard-nosed position of not removing all sanctions slapped on the Islamic Republic by the previous U.S. administration.

 

Iran to Continue to Support Balkan Region

 

On Tuesday, the Iranian official reiterated Iran’s support for the Balkans, Bosnia and Herzegovina in particular.

The Iranian foreign minister congratulated the Bosnian people on the successful holding of a general election in the country.

Amir-Abdollahian said that Iran regards the Balkan region and Bosnia as its friend and will continue to support them as it did before.

“We agreed today to activate a joint economic commission between the two countries and promote relations,” the foreign minister said, expressing satisfaction that trade exchanges between Iran and Bosnia and Herzegovina have increased by 53% in the post-COVID era during the past nine months.

He also voiced Tehran’s concern about the persistence of war in Ukraine, adding that Iran has always been opposed to war whether in Ukraine or elsewhere. 

Earlier on Monday, Amir-Abdollahian in a meeting with Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic, stressed the need to develop creative mechanisms to promote economic cooperation and trade exchanges with Serbia.

The foreign minister renewed an invitation by the Iranian president to Vucic to visit Tehran. He also reaffirmed Iran’s support for the territorial integrity of Serbia.

Amir-Abdollahian gave a report to the Serbian president about his talks with the prime minister and foreign minister of Serbia, stressing the necessity of boosting cooperation between Tehran and Belgrade in different spheres given the longevity of their relations, the Foreign Ministry’s website reported.

The top Iranian diplomat also stressed the need to use creative mechanisms to enhance economic cooperation and increase the volume of trade between the two nations.

The Serbian president, for his part, gave his greetings to the Iranian president and said Serbia believes that Iran is an important regional country.

“We think of the expansion of relations with Iran as significant and underline the need to strengthen our cooperation in proportion to the possibilities of the two countries,” Vucic added.