Lawmakers have welcomed the planned trip to Iran by British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, saying the visit could help bridge the gaps between the two sides.
According to the Guardian, the British Foreign Office announced last week that it is studying a package of measures to ease relations with Iran during a visit to Tehran by Johnson, which is expected to take place before the end of the year.
Lawmaker Gholamreza Heydari said, “Britain has been among the countries supporting JCPOA and insisted on the sustenance of the deal despite [US President Donald] Trump’s rhetoric,” IRNA reported recently.
JCPOA stands for the official name of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Pointing to “the ups and downs” in Tehran-London ties, Heydari said the trip could pave the way for enhanced bilateral ties.
Johnson has supported JCPOA in the past, calling it an “amazing triumph of diplomacy”. He also traveled to US recently in an attempt to persuade US lawmakers not to unravel the deal.
Trump broke ranks with other major powers in mid-October by refusing to formally certify that Tehran is complying with the deal, even though international inspectors say it is.
Johnson said on Oct. 23 that there was absolutely no doubt that the deal would survive despite the US decision not to recertify the deal.
The top British diplomat also said, “The International Atomic Energy Authority has found the Iranians in compliance.”
The US Congress should now decide by mid-December whether to reimpose economic sanctions on Tehran that were lifted under the pact.
British Leverage
Heydari said Britain, as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, is able to exert pressure on the US to change its tack on the deal.
Lawmaker Kamal Dehqani Firouzabadi, a member of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said Johnson’s trip shows that Britain has realized Iran’s policies in the region have been “logical”.
Dehqani hailed Johnson’s positions regarding the nuclear accord, noting that “British policies [under Johnson] suggest that they are no longer following the US lead, at least that’s what appears to be the case.”
He hoped London would stick to its stance on the nuclear deal despite the US pressure campaign, before striking a cautious note and reminding that all depends on what stances Johnson would take during his visit to Iran.
The Guardian reported that the key areas for discussion during Johnson’s visit are likely to be the Iranian claim for billions in compensation for Iranian firms that had assets frozen during the era of sanctions, a full easing of banking restrictions for Iranian companies and individuals operating in the UK and an easing of the threat of US-imposed sanctions on companies that operate in Iran.
The report claimed that Iran believes the Foreign Office package would help resolve outstanding issues and that it would want the measures to be announced before the foreign secretary’s visit.
