Iran says still exchanging message with US over removal of sanctions

Tehran, IRNA – Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amirabdollahian said on Wednesday that Iran is still exchanging messages with the United States through the European Union and other mediating countries. The foreign minister made the remarks in his first press conference with international and foreign media. He referred to a plot by hostile counties to fuel unrests across Iran over the past eight weeks so as to wage a civil war which sought a final disintegration of the country, stressing that these plots have been defeated. Noting that anti-revolutionary terrorist groups have been carrying out attacks against Iran from 76 different points of the Iraqi Kurdistan region, he said that the central government of Iraq promised to keep these groups away from the Iranian border and disarm them. He stressed that as long as the Iraqi forces ensure the security of the Iranian borders, Iran will feel no need to act to defend its territorial integrity and try to prevent cross-border attacks of the terrorist groups. The foreign minister, however, added that as long as there is a threat against Iran from neighboring countries, the Iranian forces will act in accordance with international law and the UN Charter to provide maximum security for the country. He referred to interventionist remarks by some officials from the United States, the Zionist regime, and three European countries; namely, France, Britain and Germany, over the past few weeks, and said that some of these officials, however, tried to retreat from their former remarks by making different interview in the next days. Amirabdollahian made it clear that the US and Europe which has a long history of violation of human rights and have registered a black record of colonizing the nations, are not entitled to have human rights claims about Iran. He added that the Iranian police have been exercising restraint in dealing with the rioters and more than 50 police officers and security forces have been martyred during the riots both by cold weapons and firearm. On claims about Russia using Iranian drones in war against Ukraine, the Iranian foreign minister said that Ukraine has offered no document proving such claims. Amirabdollahian said that an Iranian political-defense delegation has met with another delegation from Ukraine in a third country where they discussed the case. He said that in a phone conversation, his Ukrainian counterpart has told him that Ukraine has downed a drone which they say is Russian but is like an Iranian Shahed 136 drone. Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish