Iran: New stage to start in Vienna if Tehran red lines met – FM

Iran: New stage to start in Vienna if Tehran red lines met - FM
Iran: New stage to start in Vienna if Tehran red lines met - FM

The Iranian foreign minister says talks over the revival of the Iran nuclear deal will enter a new stage if Tehran’s red lines are met.

Hossein Amirabdollahian, in a phone conversation with his Omani counterpart Badr Al-Busaid, added Iran is ready for a lasting nuclear deal.

Amirabdollahian also underscored Iran’s goodwill and seriousness about reaching a lasting agreement.

He said after receiving the US response regarding the EU-proposed draft nuclear agreement, if Iran is assured that it will enjoy full economic benefits from the deal and that its red lines are respected, all parties will enter a new stage in Vienna.

The Iranian foreign minister however said no one can talk with certainty about reaching a good and lasting deal before the parties to the negotiations have agreed on all points.

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Amirabdollahian pointed to Oman’s constructive role during the Vienna negotiations aimed at removing anti-Iran sanctions and thanked the Persian Gulf sultanate for its efforts to bring the views of different parties closer.

The top Omani diplomat also expressed hope that all parties to the Vienna talks will make joint efforts toward producing good results.

According to a report, Iran says “relative progress” has been made in the latest round of Vienna talks and that an agreement can be reached if Tehran’s red lines are met.

Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan’ani reiterated Tehran’s long-standing position that it aims to reach a “sustainable and good agreement to remove the unjust sanctions imposed on Iran.”

He reported “relative progress” in the latest round of the talks, but noted that “Iran’s legitimate demands” have not yet been fully met.

Kan’ani added that discussions are underway in Tehran and that “additional opinions” on the European Union’s proposals would be submitted.

Negotiations have been held between Iran and the P4+1 group of countries – Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China – in the Austrian capital since April last year to restore the JCPOA, which was ditched by former US President Donald Trump in May 2018.

Four days of the talks culminated last Monday with a modified text on the table.

While the European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell claimed a “final text” had been reached, Iran emphasized it has conveyed its “initial response and reservations” on the draft text.

Kan’ani said consultations are ongoing at the highest level in Tehran, adding, “We are close to an agreement, but it is conditioned on the consideration of Iran’s red lines and the ensuring of the country’s main interests.”

While the parties have noted progress in the talks, the indecisiveness shown by Washington has prevented any significant breakthrough.

The talks began on the US administration of Joe Biden’s pledge to undo its predecessor’s withdrawal from the JCPOA and remove the sanctions Trump slapped on the Islamic Republic.

‘Serious progress in ties with Kuwait’

Commenting on the appointment of a new Kuwaiti ambassador to Iran after six years, Kan’ani said, “We are witnessing a serious development on the path towards the development of ties and cooperation between the two countries.”

He noted that Kuwait’s move could pave the way for further promotion of cooperation between Iran and its neighbors in the Persian Gulf.

Kuwait reduced diplomatic ties with Iran to the level of charges d’affaires in early January 2016.

That came following Saudi Arabia’s decision to sever diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016 after Iranian protesters, enraged by the Saudi execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, stormed its embassy in Tehran.

No one allowed to make accusations against Iran

Elsewhere, Kan’ani also commented on some reports claiming a link between Iran and the attacker of Salman Rushdie, the author of a blasphemous anti-Islam book, saying, “We categorically and officially deny this.”

“No one has the right to accuse the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he asserted.

The Iranian spokesman noted that Rushdie’s supporters are the ones who should be blamed for the attack.

On Friday, a man rushed to the stage at the Chautauqua Institution in the US state of New York and stabbed Rushdie as he was being introduced. The attacker was arrested immediately after the attack.

Multiple witnesses said the attacker was able to reach Rushdie easily, running onstage and approaching him from behind.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran loudly supports the formation of a unified Palestinian state throughout the historic land of Palestine, with al-Quds as its capital,” Amir-Abdollahian said at the news conference.

“The political plan of the Islamic Republic of Iran for Palestine has been registered in the United Nations. While we see resistance as the only option for the formation of a unified Palestinian state, we believe that holding a referendum among the original Palestinian, Muslim, Jewish and Christian populations can determine the political future of Palestine by direct vote of the Palestinian people.”

The Iranian minister also said Iran has received contradictory statements from Saudi Arabia on the renewal of bilateral relations.

“The Islamic Republic welcomes a natural return to bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia. However, mixed messages have been received from the Kingdom. We expect that the Saudis will act in the interest of the region,” he said.

Saudi Arabia and Iran started direct talks last year to try to resolve their differences. Iraq’s foreign minister, who brokers talks between the two sides in Baghdad, had said the fifth round of talks would start on March 16.

However, Iran’s media reports said Tehran had suspended talks with Saudi Arabia for now.

The announcement came after Saudi Arabia said earlier this month that it had executed 81 men in its biggest mass execution in decades. Activists said 41 were from the eastern Qatif region, which has historically been a flashpoint between the Saudi regime and Shia Muslims.

At the news conference, Amir-Abdollahian said Iran condemns the Saudi-led war on Yemen which enters its 8th year.

“We condemn the war in Ukraine, Afghanistan and Yemen and everywhere in the world. Displaced people, whether in Ukraine, Palestine, Yemen or Afghanistan, hurt the feelings of every human being.”

Amir-Abdollahian arrived in Syria on Wednesday and held meetings with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, and Syria’s National Security Advisor Ali Mamluk about various issues, including Tehran-Damascus bilateral relations as well as regional and international matters.

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