Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Saeed Khatibzadeh, commented on the Zionist entity's presence in Azerbaijan, saying that Iran takes matters of its national security very seriously, and all neighboring countries know this full well. 

Khatibzadeh added, during the weekly press conference on Monday, that a clear message has been sent to all neighboring countries that Iran will never show any leniency toward the Zionist entity's presence at its borders, a matter Iran has proved in practice.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry had earlier denied any Israeli presence near the border with Iran.

Iranian delegation will not negotiate a new deal

Khatibzadeh also stressed that the Vienna talks will indeed happen, yet the Iranian delegation will not negotiate a new deal and dialogue will remain within the context of the JCPOA.

He clarified that if Europe had not been so idle regarding the nuclear deal, then former US President Donald Trump would not have dared to harm it, adding that Germany is one of the countries that did not abide by the deal.

Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, announced during a joint press conference he held days ago with his Iranian counterpart, Hossein AmirAbdollahian, that Iran is ready to resume negotiations in Vienna on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as soon as possible. 

Iraq is marching toward diplomacy

“What happened in Iraq yesterday is the continuation of the process of democracy in that country. We welcome the successful holding of the elections in Iraq,” Khatibzadeh said, commenting on Sunday's Iraqi elections.

As for the attack on anti-Iran bases in Iraq, Khatibzadeh affirmed that Iran had repeatedly warned its "friends in Iraq and the Iraqi Kurdistan region" against the existence of such bases, which run counter to the rules of good neighborliness. “Those bases must be removed. The (Kurdistan) Region and the Baghdad government are aware of this issue. Those bases cannot keep working. We will act according to our interests wherever necessary."

Negotiations with Saudi Arabia progressing uninterruptedly

With regards to Iranian-Saudi relations, Khatibzadeh clarified that dialogue with Saudi Arabia may be "one of the pillars of peace and stability in the Persian Gulf region," further noting that negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia are still taking place behind closed doors. he went on to say that Iran is in constant communication with Saudi Arabia and the talks are now in a more serious stage.

The Spokesperson also clarified that Iran and Saudi Arabia have talked about a number of common and regional issues, including Yemen, stating that the conditions of the Yemeni people are tragic and that the talks with Saudi Arabia are focused on maintaining security in Yemen.

Tehran had repeatedly said it supports dialogue with Riyadh and is ready for talks with Saudi Arabia at any level, affirming the "importance of dialogue between countries of the Islamic World to resolve current disputes."