President Ebrahim Raisi said Iran is definitely after a good agreement on the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal which can be achieved if the other negotiating parties are serious about removal of sanctions.
“By offering draft proposals, the Islamic Republic showed that it is serious in negotiations,” he said in a meeting with Iranian ambassadors in neighboring countries on Saturday, IRNA reported.
Iran started indirect talks with the United States in April to work out how both sides can return to full compliance with the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Washington exited the JCPOA and reimposed sanctions that prompted Tehran to react by exceeding the limits of the agreement.
Six rounds of talks were held in the Austrian capital Vienna before a change of government in Iran in June which brought the process to a halt.
Raisi’s administration eventually sent a new delegation to Vienna in late November, who presented two drafts on sanctions lifting and nuclear steps.
“Some said Iran would not negotiate and others claimed we would not attend serious talks and have no plan, but the Islamic Republic participated in the negotiations with honor,” Raisi said.
He stressed that engagement in the talks is among his administration’s strategies to counter the sanctions, while parallel efforts are also on the agenda to neutralize the illegal bans.
The Foreign Ministry pursues sustainable economic development independent from the Vienna talks, according to the top diplomat
“The enemy’s strategy is to keep the shadow of sanctions over the heads of the Iranian nation and expand them, and our strategy is that these sanctions must be broken,” he said.
Raisi added that all financial and trade decisions in his government are made with a view of how to manage the country in case the sanctions remain in place.
Along this line, expansion of relations with neighboring countries has been given priority as a strategic move, according to the president.
“We can increase our exchanges with neighbors given the existing capacities in the country,” he said.
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian also highlighted the diplomatic body’s duty to help counter the effects of sanctions while also trying to have them removed.
“We pursue sustainable economic development independent from the Vienna talks; yet, the natural responsibility of the Foreign Ministry is to draw on all its diplomatic power, knowledge and experience to lift the unilateral and cruel US sanctions,” he said.
Standing Firm
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has reportedly asked his team to be prepared in the event that diplomacy fails.
White House Spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Thursday that Washington would have to take “additional measures to further restrict Iran’s revenue-producing sectors” if diplomacy cannot get on track soon.
This came after Iran put forward two drafts last week which drew criticism from western countries for what they said were major reforms to previously agreed compromises.
The seventh round of talks broke off so that diplomats could consult their capitals and later resumed on Thursday.
Iran’s top negotiator Ali Baqeri said on Friday that Tehran was standing firm on the position it laid out last week.
He told Reuters that the drafts are currently being discussed in Vienna, where the remaining parties to the JCPOA, namely France, Germany, Britain, Russia and China shuttle between Iran and the US.
Iran demands a verifiable removal of all sanctions at once before it reverses its nuclear steps while the US calls for a mutual return to compliance.
