Amir-Abdollahian: Nuclear deal dependent on US determination, goodwill

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
25 Sep 2022 11:18

The Iranian Foreign Minister says the US informed Iran in recent days that it had the required determination and goodwill to reach a nuclear deal.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (AFP)

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Saturday that the United States has sent a message in recent days on its determination and goodwill to reach a deal.

Amir-Abdollahian told IRNA that his meetings with counterparts from different countries were focused on removing sanctions imposed against Iran.

The Iranian Foreign Minister said that in his meetings with EU and E3 officials, he had affirmed Iran's determination and seriousness to reach a nuclear deal, pointing out that it was the US side that needed to show the courage to take action.

According to the top Iranian diplomat, the US side frequently announced in recent days that it had the required determination and goodwill to reach a deal, adding that Iran responded to the Americans by saying that they needed to translate so into action.

Amir-Abdollahian pointed to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's speech before the United Nations General Assembly in New York, highlighting that it was noticed by world leaders.

The Foreign Minister also mentioned that he presented a report on regional development at the Non-Aligned Movement meeting on Palestine and elaborated on the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation.

Last week, Amir-Abdollahian stressed that the United States must end its economic terrorism against Iran, instead of shedding crocodile tears.

On Thursday, Raisi remained steadfast in his stance on nuclear negotiations with foreign powers, saying he saw no benefit in a deal that would not end UN nuclear watchdog probes into uranium traces in the nation.

"How can we have a lasting agreement if these probes are not closed?" the Iranian President said at a news conference on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Raisi had noted on Wednesday that some countries consider Iran a threat due to its nuclear program, reiterating that "Iran is not seeking to build or obtain nuclear weapons and such weapons have no place in our doctrine."

He stressed that in 2015, Iran accepted the nuclear agreement but faced the US withdrawal from it.

Tehran cooperated with IAEA on alleged nuclear sites

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Spokesperson, Behrouz Kamalvandi, said last week that Iran fully cooperated with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding three sites the UN nuclear watchdog claimed to have been "undeclared nuclear sites" in Iran.

Kamalvandi rejected a statement made by IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi claiming that there has been a lack of monitoring of Iranian sites, stressing that Grossi's words had "no legal basis."

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has been fully cooperative regarding the three alleged sites brought up by the agency and has sent information and answers to the agency's questions and has also held meetings to resolve the ambiguity," he noted.

The AEOI spokesperson called on the IAEA not to make judgments based on fabricated documents the Israeli occupation provided with specific political goals in mind.

That type of judgment is against the principle of neutrality and professionalism, Kamalvandi stressed. "Since the IAEA has audited all of Iran's declared nuclear materials and there are no disagreements over the calculated materials, simply observing contamination in a few places cannot be considered as implying the presence of undeclared nuclear materials."

After the IAEA's statement and demands regarding the safeguards and monitoring of the nuclear sites, Iran's envoy to the UN nuclear agency, Mohsen Naziri Asl, said the three safeguards claims raised by the agency are a "two-decade-old issue," but Tehran still appropriately and constructively cooperated with the IAEA to resolve them.

The IAEA's Board of Governors adopted in early June a draft resolution submitted by the US and the E3, criticizing Iran for what they claim were incomplete answers given to the IAEA on uranium traces at "undeclared sites".

These claims were quickly refuted by the head of the AEOI, Mohammad Eslami, who said that Iran has neither secret or unwritten nuclear activities nor unreported nuclear sites.

It is noteworthy that the US withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers back in May 2018 under Trump's presidential term, after which he revived sanctions on Iran as part of the "maximum pressure" campaign he launched against the country and which President Joe Biden continues to impose. His administration, however, has repeatedly admitted that the policy has been a mistake and a failure.