Amir-Abdollahian: Iran favors continuation of diplomacy and dialogue

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
28 Jul 2022 14:29

In response to an EU proposal by the EU's foreign policy leader, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian expresses Iran's welcoming of diplomacy.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and EU's foreign policy leader Josef Borrell.

In response to a draft accord suggested recently by the EU's foreign policy leader on the resurrection of the 2015 nuclear deal, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Tehran favors the route of diplomacy and dialogue.

Amir-Abdollahian and European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell spoke over the phone on Wednesday about the latest state of talks on lifting sanctions against Iran and preserving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

According to the Foreign Ministry's website, Amir-Abdollahian congratulated Borrell and his deputy Enrique Mora for their efforts and stated that there is no question that Iran is determined to secure a good, solid, and long-term agreement.

He stated that if the United States proceeds genuinely toward finding a solution and striking an agreement, a good arrangement will be reached for all sides.

'Good faith and determination'

Since the beginning of the discussions, Iran has demonstrated good faith and real determination to negotiate an agreement, he continued.

Amir-Abdollahian also mentioned a new text submitted by Borrell, emphasizing that Iran favors the continuation of diplomacy and dialogue.

The Iranian foreign minister stated that the US has always claimed that it wants a deal, therefore this must be reflected in the agreement's language as well as in practice.

The Iranian side has so far demonstrated positive and serious determination in the negotiations, and now is the moment for the talks to yield beneficial results, according to Borrell.

Borrell stated once more that he and his deputy are prepared to facilitate and accelerate this trend through discussions and conversations with all stakeholders. The top Iranian and EU diplomats eventually deliberated on how to proceed.

Iran's nuclear deal

Iran signed the nuclear deal, technically known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, with international powers in July 2015, agreeing to curtail its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

However, in May 2018, former US President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the agreement and re-imposed unilateral sanctions on Tehran, causing the latter to abandon several of the agreement's pledges.

The talks to resurrect the 2015 nuclear agreement began in Vienna in April 2021 but were halted in March of this year because of political disputes between Tehran and Washington.

After a three-month pause, the talks resumed in late June in Qatar's capital, Doha, but failed to overcome the disagreements.