TEHRAN - Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Amir-Abdollahian says the Americans are the main party violating a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and have inflicted the most drastic harm to the accord, which is officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Iran’s top diplomat made the remarks in a meeting with foreign ambassadors and diplomatic missions in Tehran, during which he explained about various aspects of the new Iranian administration’s foreign policy.
Elaborating on the Iranian administration’s position on the Vienna talks, which have been going on for a few months in the Austrian capital to revive the JCPOA following U.S. withdrawal from the accord, Iran’s foreign minister said, “The 13th Iranian administration believes in diplomacy as an effective tool and we will never distance from negotiations.”
“We have a positive approach to negotiations as an opportunity to diplomacy, but believe that negotiations for the sake of negotiations will have no benefit for the Iranian nation and other involved parties,” Amir-Abdollahian said.
“The Americans inflicted the worst harm on the JCPOA and not only are they accused [in this regard], but they are also the main culprit in violating the JCPOA,” he added.
He emphasized that Iran welcomes any negotiations that guarantee the rights and interests of the Iranian nation, saying, “We believe in wise and solid negotiations that secure rights of the nation and will actively take measures towards that goal.”
Iran believes that fruitless negotiations that only waste time would not be beneficial to the people, the top diplomat added.
He urged the European troika – France, Germany and Britain who are signatories to the nuclear deal – to take action with respect to the JCPOA implementation, saying that the three states were, too, responsible for the U.S. refusal to lift sanctions against Iran and allow the nation to reap the deal’s benefits.
Amir-Abdollahian noted that this issue has been conveyed to the president and foreign minister of France during his recent visit to Iraq and to his other counterparts in the European troika.
“The European troika has the opportunity to review and change its approach to show its firm determination in its interaction with Iran,” he said.
“At the same time, we welcome cooperation with other European countries and are ready to pursue active and dynamic relations with them within the framework of a balanced foreign policy. We will pay attention to all continents and parts of the world in such a relationship,” the Iranian foreign minister pointed out.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh warned of Tehran’s reaction to any politicized move by parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
“Neither side should make a miscalculation and move in a direction that will affect the negotiations in Vienna. The political use of the IAEA technical platform will lead to a different response from Iran. The relations between Iran and the IAEA are technical and respectful, and we hope that others will not interfere in this relationship,” Khatibzadeh said.
In response to a question about the possible visit of Rafael Grossi, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency to Iran, Khatibzadeh said, “Technical issues between the IAEA and the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) are addressed by the AEOI spokesman. The next meeting of the Board of Governors is a regular meeting.”
“We heard about Grossi’s trip. I do not know if it is planned or not, and you should ask the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran,” the spokesman said.