Speaking to reporters at his weekly press conference on Monday, Bahram Ghasemi said the speculations about the possibility of negotiations between Iran and US are mostly media coverage and no particular official has made any comments about it.
“The US policies against Iran and the case of the Iran nuclear deal are all very clear,” he said.
“Given the US hostile measures against Iran after its withdrawal from the JCPOA and the reinstatement of economic sanctions, there is no possibility for talks (between Iran and the US) and Washington reveals its untrustworthy nature day by day,” he added.
“Mr. Trump thinks that every morning the world wakes up with him. One should not take him seriously,” he said.
US President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that Washington was withdrawing from the nuclear agreement reached between Iran and the US, UK, France, Russia and China - plus Germany in 2015. Trump also said he would reinstate US nuclear sanctions and impose “the highest level” of economic bans on Iran.
Turning to a question about Iran’s lawsuit at the ICJ over US sanctions, Ghasemi promised that Iran would employ any available and legitimate mechanism to advocate its rights and show its own commitment in the face of US unlawful withdrawal from the nuclear deal and its blatant violation of its commitments; “the ICJ will hold the proceeding for the lawsuit in August (27-60) and we will make every effort and use any legitimate tool to protect the rights of the Iranian nation,” he added.
Given EU’s August 6 deadline to offer Iran a package of proposals that would guarantee Iran’s economic benefits despite US sanctions, Ghasemi was asked to comment on the current stage of talks with the European sides. He said Iran and the European sides are in constant contact about the issue, adding “there is some room for optimism and we have perceived some positive signals in the general outlines of the package.”
The EU’s package of proposals is an attempt to convince Iran to stay in the nuclear deal despite the US pullout and reinstatement of sanctions. Iran says it will abide by the nuclear agreement as long as its economic interests are served.
Ghasemi went on to add, “some steps have been taken forward, and the remaining details are being looked into. We hope to reach a relatively ideal situation within the time limit and be able to take longer steps in a new round of cooperation and relations with the European Union.”
Ghasemi added that Iran will also continue talks with EU on the Yemeni crisis.
Asked to comment about the Yemen’s Ansarullah retaliatory attacks on a Saudi warship and a vessel in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the accusations raised against Iran, Ghasemi said “the United Arab Emirates has a major role in the Yemeni crisis. Yemeni people are fighters and rely on their own weapons and capabilities. Iran has repeatedly stated that it has no involvement in sending arms to Yemen, and these are all accusations. The UAE should consider its own interests, because the country’s interests do not encourage such behavior.”
About media speculations about the likelihood of war waged by US against Iran, he said that he did not believe in the prospect of such war, adding “I find it far-fetched to assume that the US is deplete of rational thinkers to the extent that it would disregard Iran’s power and capabilities and make such a great mistake.”
Ghasemi further added that Iran is in contact with the Netherlands to follow up on the case of the expulsion of Iranian diplomats; “we have preserved the right for retaliatory measure at the right time,” he said.
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