Iran spox doesn’t rule out talks on JCPOA in New York

Tehran, IRNA – Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman doesn’t rule out the possibility of talks on the fate of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in New York, as the Iranian president is on the way to the United Nations seat to attend the 77th General Assembly. Nasser Kanaani told reporters in his weekly press conference on Monday that there was no defined plan for any talks on removing the sanctions against Iran in President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to New York to attend the UNGA. Kanaani, however, said that international meetings are naturally a good opportunity for the officials of countries to express their political views and hold sideline talks. There would be also an opportunity for opinion exchanges on the nuclear issues and the talks to remove sanctions against Iran, the spokesman said, referring to the efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or the JCPOA. I don’t rule out such a possibility, Kanaani noted, adding that Iran leverages any opportunity to express its opinions on bilateral and international issues. He also said that the Islamic Republic of Iran never left the negotiating table and recognized constructive talks as a proper, rational, and logical solution to settle differences. It is likely that there would be bilateral talks on the sanctions removal negotiations with the participants of the Vienna talks on the sidelines of the UNGA, he added. However, the spokesman noted that there would be no direct meetings between Iranian and American officials on any issues. On the situation in the South Caucasus, the spokesman said that Iran quickly acted after the recent escalation in that region, and President Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian had phone conversations respectively with the prime minister of Armenia and the foreign minister of Azerbaijan Republic to resume ceasefire. Iran believes in political approaches to settle conflicts, de-escalate, and enter political talks to settle border disputes between Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, Kanaani said, noting that Iran’s stance on the geopolitics of the region was obviously no change to political borders. Kanaani also touched on the resumption of ties between Hamas and the Syrian Government, saying that the regional developments in recent years show that the main threat to the peace and security of the region is the Zionist regime and this has instigated a reconsideration by countries and groups in the region on their ties with Syria. He said that the convergence between the Resistance movements contributes to peace and security in the region. On recent conflicts between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, Kanaani noted that Iran has offered help to de-escalate, based on the good relations it has with both Central Asian states. The spokesman highlighted Iran’s assistance to Lebanon but denied any free fuel supply to the country, saying that there are talks between Tehran and Beirut to supply the country’s oil, fuel, and electricity in the form of packages. Kanaani confirmed that Iran will host a big delegation of over 60 Russian private and state businesses working in various areas and they will have various meetings with Iranian businesses to explore cooperation possibilities. He also gave an outline of President Raisi’s New York visit, saying that the president will make a speech in the UNGA, meet with heads of state and other political officials, attend press conferences, meet with reporters, and have meetings with the elite and religious figures, as well as Iranians living in the United States. On the reactions made by US officials about the death of a 22-year-old Iranian girl after her arrest by the Iranian police, Kanaani dismissed any interventionist comments by the US officials, adding that the US Government should remove the tyrannical unilateral blockade against the Iranian nation if they are concerned about the people of Iran. He condemned some European countries for hosting terrorist groups against international law and friendly policies and said that Iran does everything within the recognized frameworks and mechanisms to extradite those terrorists. However, he said, some countries do not abide by their international obligations despite their mottos on human rights. On the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the spokesman said that Iran acted in accordance with the protocols, bilateral ties, and in reciprocation of previous occasions based on diplomatic norms. Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish