Iran’s FM confirms willingness to resume talks on nuclear deal with EU

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi has said Tehran is ready to resume nuclear talks and that negotiations with Europe may begin soon.

Araghchi made the comments answering questions on various issues from Iran’s nuclear program to the country’s policy over the ongoing developments in the West Asia region, Caliber.Az reports, citing Iranian media.

He stated that Iran is ready to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) if the agency takes the path of interaction; otherwise, Iran will take new measures in case that the agency’s Board of Governors issues a new resolution against Iran.

“Our behaviour towards the IAEA is completely professional. The agency is a technical body and should fulfill its duties in the technical field, and it does not have the right to enter political fields”, the Iranian foreign minister noted.

Araghchi added that Iran’s approach was conveyed to the IAEA director general, Rafael Grossi, during his latest trip to the Islamic Republic earlier in the week.

The minister reiterated that Iran remains committed to its obligations under the IAEA as well as the nuclear non-proliferation treaty known as NPT.

He stated however that Iran has stopped its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal, which is officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in response to the US withdrawal from the deal and Europe’s failure to compensate for Washington’s pullout.

Yet, Iran is ready for talks over the JCPOA, and negotiations with Europe may begin soon, Araghchi noted.

Regarding ties with the United States, the top Iranian diplomat said that his country is waiting for the new American administration to be formed and its policies to be announced.

“We pursue our policies and principles and arrange them based on our interests as well as goals and ideals. We will behave the new US administration based on their policies,” Araghchi continued, adding that US actions matter to Iran, and that the current picks for the new American administration are extremist when it comes to support for the Israeli regime.

Araghchi also said that no meeting took place between Iran’s ambassador to the UN and Elon Musk in New York, dismissing American media reports on such a meeting.

He also explained that Iran delayed denying the reports because it believed that they were unworthy to respond and could be media hype against the Islamic Republic.

By Khagan Isayev