The US needs to change its approach and considers the realities on the ground, Khatibzadeh said, adding that Trump’s policy of maximum pressure has failed….reports Asian Lite News
A spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry has urged the US to give up the “pressure policy” pursued by former American President Donald Trump.
Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said at a press conference on Monday that the incumbent US administration should realise that it will not gain anything related to the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, known also as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), if it adheres to “Trump’s mentality”, reports Xinhua news agency.
The US needs to change its approach and considers the realities on the ground, Khatibzadeh said, adding that Trump’s policy of maximum pressure has failed.
Asked about the pause in Vienna talks on the revival of the JCPOA, he said that Iran was busy with the transition of administration recently and new President Ebrahim Raisi will decide on the process of negotiations.
Anti-Tehran sanctions should be lifted, Khatibzadeh said, adding that “Iran would not accept anything less than the JCPOA” which resulted in the removal of western sanctions on the Islamic Republic in 2015.
Trump withdrew from the 2015 agreement in May 2018 and unilaterally re-imposed old and new sanctions on Iran.
In response, Iran has gradually stopped implementing parts of its commitments to the deal since May 2019.
After six rounds of talks in Vienna since April, the parties said serious differences remain between Iran and the US for the revitalisation of the deal.
The sixth round of talks ended on June 20, with the talks currently on hiatus.
Iran welcomes boost of ties with France
Meanwhile, the new Iranian government has welcomed the boost of ties with France based on common interests and mutual respect, President Ebrahim Raisi said during a telephone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.
During the call on Monday, Raisi called for development of relations between the two countries, particularly in the economic and trade sectors, reports Xinhua news agency.
Raisi however, denounced the US for what he called the “violation” of commitments pertaining to the 2015 nuclear deal, saying “the Americans have blatantly breached their commitments by imposing new sanctions (on Iran) and have even extended the new sanctions to the humanitarian area”.
He noted that “the rights of Iranian people must be ensured in any negotiation”.
Macron congratulated Raisi on his inauguration, saying that “Iran and France can play a role in establishing peace and stability in the region through their cooperation”.
As for the negotiations on the revival of the nuclear deal, Macron said that “we are looking for a solution to this issue and we hope the negotiations will start again”.
