The Swiss and Iranian presidents on Monday explored ways to strengthen bilateral ties and underlined the need to preserve the 2015 Iran nuclear deal despite the US unilateral withdrawal.
Both sides are determined to utilize the existing potential to enhance the level of their "friendly" relations in all areas, President Hassan Rouhani told Alain Berset in Bern during an official visit.
Rouhani criticized US President Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the nuclear accord, saying that it showed Washington has no respect for its international laws and commitments, Rouhani’s website reported.
He recalled that Iran never wants to create tension in the region and its declared foreign policy is to build cooperation and constructive ties with other countries, in particular neighbors.
Support for JCPOA
The Swiss president said ties between Tehran and Bern are growing, especially in scientific fields.
Berset expressed his support for the nuclear accord, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, noting that all countries should work to preserve the agreement as it is the result of years of negotiations and is endorsed by the United Nations Security Council.
On Tuesday, Iranian and Swiss officials signed documents on cooperation in the fields of healthcare, science and road transport at a meeting attended by the two presidents.
Consequences
In a meeting with a group of Iranians in Switzerland on Monday, Rouhani said the United States’ attempts to pressure its allies to stop buying Iranian crude oil will have consequences.
“The Americans have claimed they want to completely stop Iran’s oil exports. They do not understand the meaning of this statement because it is meaningless that Iran not be able to export its oil while others in the region export their oil. Do this if you can and see the consequences,” the president said, according to his website. He did not elaborate.
Reduced Oil Flows
Iran, one of the largest producers in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, exports about 2.5 million barrels of crude oil per day.
Washington says it expects global imports of Iranian oil to fall to zero by Nov. 4, when it will reimpose sanctions against Tehran’s energy sector.
However, a senior State Department official on Monday said the US would allow reduced oil flows, in certain cases.
“We are prepared to work with countries that are reducing their imports on a case-by-case basis,” said Brian Hook, the department’s director of policy and planning, the New York Times reported.
Targeting People
Rouhani said the main goal of sanctions is actually to put pressure on the ordinary people in Iran while the Trump team claims that they want to put pressure on the government in Tehran.
“When they impose sanctions on people’s basic needs like medicine, who will come under pressure?”
He reiterated that that Iran will not bow to US pressure and called for dialogue to resolve disagreements and differences among nations.
“We told all our foreign partners that if they speak to the Iranian nation with the language of respect and logic, we can solve the problems logically and through dialogue and that threats, pressure and humiliation of the Iranian nation will never work,” he said.
Rouhani was due to arrive in Austria on Wednesday. He is accompanied by a high-profile delegation including Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Documents Signed
Iranian and Swiss officials on Tuesday signed three documents on cooperation between the two countries in scientific, medical, and transportation fields.
The documents were signed in a ceremony in Switzerland attended by Rouhani and his Swiss counterpart Berset.
The signed documents are expected to prepare the ground for further banking, financial, investment, tourism, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two sides, a report by Fars News Agency said.
