“Neither will Iran renegotiate a done deal, nor will the UNSCR 2231 change by such stances [by some parties],” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said during his weekly presser on Monday.
His comments came in reaction to Germany’s call for a renegotiation of the 2015 nuclear agreement over Iran’s national defense program.
Germany’s top diplomat, Heiko Maas, toeing the line of America, has spoken of what he called a “nuclear deal plus” with Iran that would also cover the country’s conventional missile program and regional role. Maas said “a return to the previous agreement will not be enough,” and that “there will have to be a kind of ‘nuclear deal plus’, which is also in our interest.”
Khatibzadeh urged the Europeans to take the right decisions, saying, “Germany and other parties to the deal should know that what has not been achieved by the US’ so-called maximum pressure, will not be reached in other ways.”
Europeans are the parties that have failed to fulfill their obligations after the US’ withdrawal from the deal, he added.
Khatibzadeh further said, "We expect them to pay attention to the facts and know that Iran is neither compromising nor negotiating its national security.”
“Iran is well aware of its rights and responsibilities and has always reminded the other parties of their rights and responsibilities.”
*** Riyadh, Manama ambitions over JCPOA
Khatibzadeh pointed to Riyadh and Manama rulers’ wish to be partners to “future talks on Iran’s nuclear program” and said some regional countries have made every effort, in the cost of their people's livelihood, to ensure their own security with the help of the US’ outgoing president.
“Tehran's voice is loud and clear; Iran is an anchor of stability in the region, and as an older brother, it has tried to ignore the mistakes of these countries," he said, adding that “These countries need to know their position, and they should speak within their capacities.”
Khatibzadeh, in response to another question about the claims of the Saudi Foreign Minister who has asked US president-elect Joe Biden to stop Iran, said such hasty comments by the Riyadh regime are against their national interests and in favor of the non-regional powers that have always been meddling in the region’s affairs.
He noted that when a country's foreign policy is not defined in a principled framework, such embarrassing messages can be heard every day.
Referring to the five-year bloodshed in Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition, Khatibzadeh said, “Our advice for Saudi Arabia’s rulers is to pay attention to the problems they have created for the Arab and Islamic world, which can only be solved by correcting their path.”
*** Iran committed to NPT
The spokesman reiterated Iran’s commitment to the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty (NPT), saying that as long as the other side will not make any mistake, Iran will continue its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
He stressed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will follow the decisions made by the Parliament in this regard.
Iran undertook to adhere to the Additional Protocol of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as part of its 2015 nuclear agreement with world countries. Under the protocol, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog, is allowed to carry out “more intrusive” inspections of the country’s nuclear work.
However, following the Europeans' lack of commitment in securing Iran's interests in tha face of the US’ unilateral sanctions, and following the International Atomic Energy Agency’s silence over the recent assassination of a top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the Iranian lawmakers have been studying a counteractive plan to suspend some more JCPOA-related commitments, including halt of the implementation of the Additional Protocol to the NPT.
*** Iran-Qatar ties not subject to a third party
In response to a question regarding Tehran-Doha relations after Qatar's reconciliation with some other Persian Gulf countries, Khatibzadeh reiterated that Iran’s relations with Qatar are not subject to factors by other parties.
Noting that Iran has always been standing by all regional countries through all ups and downs, the spokesman said, “We have welcomed any settlement of tensions in the Persian Gulf.”
He stressed, “The path taken by the UAE and Saudi Arabia to besiege Qatar is a bullying path and should be resolved by normalizing the situation.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has also welcomed the resolving of a persisting diplomatic row between Qatar and Saudi Arabia and the UAE, expressing hope that the reconciliation will contribute to the stability as well as the political and economic development of the regional nations.
Back in June 2017, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Egypt severed diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar. They also banned all Qatari planes from their airspaces, accusing Doha of meddling in regional affairs and supporting “terrorism.”
Qatar had repeatedly condemned the decision as unjustified and the allegations as based on false claims and assumptions, saying it was targeted because it followed an independent foreign policy. Doha has since highlighted its readiness for dialogue.
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