Qalibaf: Any Deal Should Lead to Lifting Sanctions on Iran

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Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said that Iran wants to obtain reassurances that the United States has abandoned the maximum pressure policy and that any deal should lead to lifting the sanctions on Iran. The statement came during talks with the President of the Swiss National Council, Andreas Abei, on Monday.

Qalibaf conveyed his trust that the relations between the Iranian and Swiss parliaments and the two parliamentary friendship groups in both countries would boost the economy and agriculture in both nations, calling for the activation of the private sector owners’ role in this regard.

During the meeting, the head of the Iranian Shura Council stated that the United States, which has begun withdrawing from the nuclear deal, is required to take the first step regarding abiding by its commitments.

Meanwhile, Qalibaf brought up the Israeli movements in the region neighboring Iran, indicating that these activities are taking place with the US approval and cooperation, and adding that such behavior would negatively affect the course of the nuclear deal.

For his part, Swiss Parliament Speaker Andras Aebi expressed his contentment with the visit to Iran and considered that former US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal a "wrong decision."

“Food security is being noticed, and we realize that it is challenging," Aebi added. "We would like to cooperate with Iran because of the abundant water availability in Switzerland and many territories in Iran."

The President of the Swiss Parliament called for sending a delegation of Iranian agricultural and cultural activists to Switzerland in the year 2023 when the Covid-19 pandemic recedes, and for the Iranian embassy in Bern to intensify communication with the Swiss government.

It is worth noting that in May of last year, former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called his Swiss counterpart Simonetta Sommaruga and expressed his expectations that Switzerland would play a more effective role in light of the current sensitive circumstances and following the increase of the illegal US sanctions against Iran.