Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif expressed hope that Saudi Arabia would adopt an approach based on "realism" and "good neighborliness" to be able to contribute to the stability of the region.
Zarif, who was speaking at a joint press with visiting Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusic in Tehran on Sunday, said Tehran and Riyadh have no problems in their bilateral relations, but both states should find a common solution to help overcome regional challenges "without foreign interference", Fars news agency reported. The foreign minister had travelled to Saudi Arabia to attend a memorial service for the late Saudi King Abdullah on Saturday. Zarif also said his remarks in Davos about the parliament's response should the US congress impose a new package of sanctions against Tehran were not a "threat but a reality."
Speaking on a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Friday, Zarif said, "A sanctions bill by the US Congress will kill the Joint Plan of Action (the interim nuclear deal between Iran and the major powers) that we adopted last year in Geneva", adding, "The US president has the power to veto it, but our parliament will have its counter-action and our president doesn't have the power to veto it." He went on to say that the nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) can reach a settlement "if the other side has the required political will."
"The West should decide whether they really want to settle the nuclear issue through negotiating with Iran or want to continue pressuring the country,” Zarif said.
