Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman announced that Iranian negotiating delegation has departed for Vienna on Monday to attend the JCPOA joint commission meeting.
Speaking at a weekly press conference on Monday, Saeed Khatibzadeh stressed, “There is no discussion about the presence of ministers in the Vienna talks. The negotiations are underway in Vienna and are not moving forward fast. We still have serious differences on some issues. We are seriously negotiating within the framework of Iran’s policies”.
Pointing to the visit of the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to Qatar and Iraq, Khatibzadeh said, “Zarif’s trip to Qatar and Iraq is part of Ramadan diplomacy. We have good and brotherly relations with the two countries. Travel to other countries is also on the agenda in the future”.
“Consultations with Qatar and Iraq on bilateral relations, issues of the Islamic world and the region are a priority. These visits have nothing to do with third parties, while we appreciate the efforts of these two countries in the developments in the region,” he added.
“Zarif’s trip to Iraq and Qatar has nothing to do with Saudi Arabia. Of course, in the last few years, we have announced our readiness to resolve the issues with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and whenever they decide to hold these talks, we welcome them,” he noted.
Regarding the purpose of Zarif’s trip to Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan, the spokesman stated, “One of our main trading partners is Iraq. We also did very serious work in the field of gas, electricity exports and meeting Iraq’s infrastructure needs, as well as provincial connections with the Kurdistan region and the border provinces”.
“We do not consider the peace and stability of Iraq apart from the peace and stability of Iran, and we do not think that without the development of peace and stability across the borders, we can also seriously develop security in the border areas,” Khatibzadeh added.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Khatibzadeh said, “Iran-Russia relations are strategic and close. The two countries have decided to expand their cooperation in different levels. Dr. Zarif and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are both architects of expanding relations between the two countries”.
About the claim of the Wall Street Journal that the Biden government is ready to reduce oil and financial sanctions, Khatibzadeh said, “There has been no change in our position on lifting the sanctions, all the sanctions should be lifted together and there is no difference between the sanctions and all of them should be verified”.
“We do not accept a step-by-step plan and it is not on our agenda,” he added, saying, “The United States must fulfill its obligations, and Iran is ready to fulfill its commitment under the JCPOA after verification.”
“The US government is obliged to lift the sanctions on the basis of the JCPOA, and US domestic policy is not up to us,” he noted.
“We have no interest in erosive conversations,” the Iranian diplomat underlined.