Speaking with the President of France Emmanuel Macron by telephone late on Tuesday, President Hassan Rouhani stressed “the normalization of oil and banking relations would be the first phase of Iran's expected commitments from Europe.”
Rouhani hailed as positive the recent visit of his especial envoy to France (Deputy Foreign Minister Araghchi), stressing the need for continuing talks to pave the way for full compliance of the two sides with their commitments.
The Iranian president criticized the Europe’s lack of action to make up for Iran’s losses after the US illegal withdrawal from the JCPOA, saying that compliyng with JCPOA commitments is not acceptable to Iran anymore under such circumstances.
He said that the US policy to create tension in the region will have negative impacts the on security and stability of the region and beyond, emphasizing that “the Islamic Republic of Iran has always been the main guarantor of security and freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman.”
The Iranian president also said that the US will not benefit from creating tensions and the continuation of this trend will be a zero-sum game for all.
According to Rouhani, Iran has not and will not start any tension in the region, but it will vigorously defend its interests in any tensions.
Rouhani stressed that Iran will reverse its decision to reduce its JCPOA commitments as soon as its economic interests are secured.
“The more time passes by and Iran goes on with reducing JCPOA commitments, the harder it gets for Iran and Europe to return to the starting point,” he noted.
The Iranian president added that allocating a financial channel to Iran by Europe as an introduction would be important.
He also welcomed and appreciated the French president’s efforts to solve the problems, saying “Iran has always welcomed any initiative to reach fair solutions and hold constructive dialogue.”
Emmanuel Macron, for his part, described the recent visit of Rouhani’s especial envoy to France as positive, adding that France will spare no efforts to secure Iran's interests in the JCPOA and normalize Tehran's economic relations with other countries.
Macron described the US sanctions on Iran as 'unilateral and unacceptable', calling for an appropriate and fair solution to reduce the escalating tensions in the region.
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