Speaking in his weekly press conference on Monday, Saeed Khatibzadeh answered questions on a wide range of topics.
FM spox congratulates Iran's President-elect Raeisi
Congratulating the successful holding of the 13th presidential election and winning President-elect Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi, Khatibzadeh said, "Over the past 48 hours, more than 45 senior officials from various countries sent congratulatory messages to the President-elect. Twenty-four presidents and prime ministers, four members of parliament, and eighteen senior political and international figures sent congratulatory messages to President-elect, and the process continues."
Next round to be final round likely
In response to the question of whether the parties to the Vienna talks are going to reach an agreement with the new Iranian administration, he said, "These speculations are not true. All the parties in Vienna talked about the details, but none of them believes that they spent much time in Vienna."
"Iran's policy has never been to delay lifting sanctions if possible," the FM spokesperson stressed. "It is not unlikely that the next round will be the final round, we have to see if all parties make their decisions or not."
"Diplomats are optimistic, but it is always too early to judge, and we have to see if political decisions are made by all parties," he added, saying, "The draft is unambiguous and we have reached a clear draft in all working groups. What remains is a political decision rather than a negotiation, and if decisions are made, we can hope to be in the final round of talks."
New JCPOA not to be negotiated
In reaction to the recent remarks of US National Security Advisor Sullivan, the Iranian diplomat noted, "Everyone knows that Iran has had a single policy in recent years. There will never be a discussion about a new JCPOA. If he has read the text of the JCPOA, it is stated in it that the full implementation of the JCPOA is a reassurance of the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear activities and the case will be closed. Therefore, if anyone wants to be sure of the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program, it is better to put the full implementation of the JCPOA on its agenda."
"The best that the United States can think of is to provide the necessary guarantees to return to the JCPOA and not to violate Resolution 2231," he added.
Iran wants guarantees from current US administration
Answering a question of whether Iran wants guarantees from the current US administration, Khatibzadeh said, "It is true but I won't talk about details. It is a topic that is being discussed behind closed doors."
"The United States once showed during the Trump era that it can arrogantly ignore the interests of other countries, so Iran wants guarantees from the current US administration," he added.
Complete lifting of sanctions Iran's policy
The foreign ministry spokesman also responded to a question of whether the Iranian negotiating team has made the agreement conditional on the removal of certain individuals from the US sanctions list despite the agreement on trade and economic sanctions, saying, "These reports are not accurate. Iran has never made reaching an agreement conditional on the removal of certain individuals from the US sanctions list. Iran's principled policy is to lift all sanctions."
"In the Vienna talks, we will not accept any more commitment than what is written in the JCPOA, and we will not consent to any profit less than what is foreseen in the JCPOA. We are very serious in this regard," Khatibzadeh added. "The United States has once made it clear that it is not adhering to international law and has shown how it tries to misuse the smallest detail in order to not to meet its obligations."
No agreement can be reached unless everything is agreed upon
"It would be better for Europeans to return to their commitments," he said on the warning of European diplomats about the prolongation of the Vienna talks.
He urged the European parties to pursue a constructive approach in the talks and return at least to a minimum implementation of their commitments.
"We will not allow negotiations to be eroded. Details are as important to us as generalities. No agreement can be reached unless everything is agreed upon," Khatibzadeh stressed.
Iran to welcome Saudi Arabia returning to region
The spokesperson also answered a question about Zarif's remarks in readiness for sending the ambassador to Riyadh, saying, "What Zarif said is nothing new."
Iran has always welcomed Saudi Arabia returning to the region, and it is committed to dialogue with Saudi Arabia on bilateral, regional and international issues, he added.
National security of Afghanistan part of national security of Iran
"Extensive developments are taking place in our neighborhood, and we call on everyone to reduce violence and adhere to genuine inter-Afghan dialogue and to commit to a peaceful destiny for Afghanistan in the presence of all ethnicities and minorities in this country," he said.
"This has always been the position of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and in this matter, because the national security of Afghanistan is part of the national security of Iran, we will follow this issue seriously and in detail," the spokesman added.
Iran has always welcomed its brothers and sisters from Afghanistan. Afghanistan must be a land of peace and tranquility for Afghans, he highlighted.
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