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25-09-2021
TEHRAN/ NEW YORK: Iran will return to negotiations on resuming compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal “very soon,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told reporters on the sidelines of the UNGA.
“We are not seeking to quit the negotiating table,” Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said.
“We will certainly pursue a negotiation that serves the rights and interests of our nation.”
The foreign minister also described conversations between Iranian and Saudi officials as “constructive” and he said Tehran had put forward dynamic proposals towards achieving peace in Yemen.
Earlier, Iran’s ambassador to Iraq hailed advancement in the negotiations with Saudi Arabia, unveiling plans for the fourth round of talks in Baghdad.
In an interview with Iraqi News Agency, Iraj Masjedi said Iran and Saudi Arabia are willing to hold talks and achieve a result.
“The negotiations with Saudi Arabia are moving forward,” the envoy added, hoping that the two sides would obtain definite results.
He also noted that the fourth round of negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia is going to be held in Baghdad.
“We hope that the negotiations with Saudi Arabia would advance constructively,” Masjedi stated.
Iran is delighted to see Iraq playing a successful role in the region, the ambassador noted, adding that the Islamic Republic supports the Iraqi efforts and stronger political role.
Diplomatic relations between Tehran and Riyadh soured following the January 2016 execution of Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, an outspoken critic of the Saudi monarchy, in Saudi Arabia. Riyadh cut ties with Tehran afterwards, responding to attacks by angry protesters on its embassy in the Iranian capital.
Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against Yemen as well as the death of hundreds of Iranian Hajj pilgrims in a deadly crush in Saudi Arabia’s Mina in September 2015 had prepared the ground for the deterioration of tensions between Tehran and Riyadh.
Meanwhile, the mission of the United Nations in Afghanistan has become much more serious following the recent developments in that country, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, noting that Iran has been a close partner of the UN in this regard.
In a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Guterres hailed the good cooperation between the Islamic Republic and the United Nations and said the UN welcomes wider collaborations with Iran.
Lauding Iran’s stance concerning the recent developments in Afghanistan, Guterres said he believes that an inclusive government should be formed in Afghanistan so that different groups, ethnicities and genders could play a role in their country’s future.
He also noted that the UN mission in Afghanistan has become much more serious, emphasizing that Iran is a close partner with regard to the Afghan issue.
Guterres also referred to the UN’s principled stance in rejecting the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, saying he had always supported the 2015 nuclear deal, which was ditched by the US in 2018 in pursuit of unilateral sanctions against Tehran.
For his part, the Iranian foreign minister called on the United Nations to unanimously stand up against the United States’ making use of terrorism against different nations for political motives.
“The US uses sanctions against nations. The US uses terrorism against other nations for its own political goals-most notably the cowardly assassination of General Soleimani,” Amirabdollahian deplored.
He underlined that a unified voice from the UN against such imperious conduct is necessary, adding, “Of course, Iran is pursuing (the case) nationally and internationally to bring to justice the perpetrators of the assassination of General Soleimani and his companions.”
Amirabdollahian further noted that Iran supports the UN’s initiatives and welcomes its neutral and fair stances.
He said the need for the UN to play a serious and constructive role in the region is felt more than ever, particularly in Palestine, Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan.
While criticizing the UN’ inaction in the face of the Israeli regime’s atrocities against the Palestinian people, the Iranian minister expressed hope that such a trend would change during Guterres’ tenure.
Regarding the situation in Syria, Amirabdollahian pointed out that parts of Syrian soil have been occupied by foreign forces, Press TV reported.
He finally emphasized that the inhumane Saudi siege of Yemen must end. (Int’l News Desk)
