Pointing to the importance of President Hassan Rouhani’s upcoming visit to Switzerland and Austria, Foreign Ministry spokesman said in the current situation, the visit can have a positive impact on Iran’s relations with the two European countries as well as the 27-nation European Union.
In an interview with ISNA on Saturday, Bahram Qassemi said, “Given the continuation of US President Donald Trump’s hostility and his withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, “we are currently in a situation where other members of the JCPOA and EU should prove their commitment to the nuclear deal and secure Iran’s interests enshrined in the international agreement”.
JCPOA is the official name of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal form which the US withdrew in early May. The other signatories of the deal, namely China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany, have said they are trying to salvage the deal.
At the official invitation of his Swiss and Austrian presidents and leading a high-ranking politico-economic delegation, Rouhani will travel to Berne and Vienna on July 2-3.
Key Agenda
“This trip has already been organized and an important agenda has been set”, Qassemi said without elaborating on the agenda.
Recalling that Iran has long-standing and cordial relations with European countries such as Switzerland and Austria, Qassemi said, “Tehran and Vienna are on the threshold of the 160th anniversary of diplomatic relations and on the other hand Iran’s diplomatic ties with Bern date back to tens of years ago”.
He referred to Iran’s collaboration with the two European countries in economic and industrial fields and said, “Currently, Austria has a special status among European countries, so that the headquarters of many international institutions and organizations related to the United Nations such as International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are in the country. Austria can be cited as one of the historic capitals of international diplomacy”.
No EU Package
Qassemi rejected reports in some sections of the Iranian media that the Eurpoean Union will offer a package to Iran in the next two days.
“No such package has been offered to Iran yet,” he said.
US Interference Dismissed
On Friday Qassemi dismissed US criticism of its regional policies, saying that it is Washington who has wreaked havoc in the Middle East through its wrong decisions and unwanted interference in the internal affairs of other countries.
"Instability, extremism, insecurity, the growth of terrorism and other problems and crises in the region have been caused by the US illegal interference and wrong policies," Qasemi said in a statement carried by IRNA.
He made the remarks after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed in a tweet on June 28 that Iran's support for Yemen's Houthi groups is a threat to Saudi Arabia and the UAE -- both states seen as staunch US allies in the volatile region.
"Iran's support for Houthis in Yemen not only enables attacks on Saudi Arabia & UAE, but also risks increasing Yemen's already massive humanitarian crisis," the US official wrote, adding that Iranian leaders must be held accountable for destabilizing Persian Gulf's security and prolonging the suffering of the Yemeni people.
Destabilizing Role
Qasemi said the Americans cannot deflect attention away from their "destructive" and "destabilizing" role in the region through false statements and diversionary tactics.
They owe the world an explanation about their wrong policies, he noted, adding that the US is exacerbating regional crises by resorting to "threadbare" excuses and promoting Iranophobia with the aim of selling arms and milking Muslim states in the region.
Saudi Intervention
"Is there anyone who doesn't know that the pain and suffering of the oppressed people of Yemen, particularly women, children and the elderly, is the result of regular bombardments by the Saudis taking place with the consent, approval and green light from the US government and its financial and material support to avaricious aggressors?"
The Foreign Ministry spokesman was referring to a coalition of Arab states led by Saudi Arabia and supported by the US, which launched a military intervention into impoverished Yemen in 2015.
He said the perpetrators and supporters of “war crimes" in the war-ravaged Arab country should be brought to justice.
