Speaking in his weekly press conference on Monday, Saeed Khatibzadeh answered questions on a wide range of topics.
All sanctions must be lifted at once
"There has been no change in our position on lifting the sanctions, all the sanctions should be lifted together and there is no difference between the sanctions and all of them should be verified," said Khatibzadeh about the claim of the Wall Street Journal that the Biden government is ready to reduce oil and financial sanctions.
"We do not accept a step-by-step plan and it is not on our agenda," he added, saying, "The United States must fulfill its obligations, and Iran is ready to fulfill its commitment under the JCPOA after verification."
"The US government is obliged to lift the sanctions on the basis of the JCPOA, and US domestic policy is not up to us," he noted.
"We have no interest in erosive conversations," the Iranian diplomat underlined.
Zarif's trip to Qatar, Iraq part of Ramadan diplomacy
Referring to the visit of the Iranian foreign minister to Qatar and Iraq, Khatibzadeh said, "Zarif's trip to Qatar and Iraq is part of Ramadan diplomacy. We have good and fraternal relations with Qatar and Iraq. Travel to other countries is also on the agenda in the future."
"Consultations with Qatar and Iraq on bilateral relations, issues of the Islamic world and the region are a priority. These trips have nothing to do with third parties, while we appreciate the efforts of these two countries in the developments in the region," he added.
"Zarif's trip to Iraq and Qatar has nothing to do with Saudi Arabia. Of course, in the last few years, we have announced our readiness to resolve the issues with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and whenever they decide to hold these talks, we welcome them," he noted.
"One of our main trading partners is Iraq. We also did very serious work in the field of gas, electricity exports and meeting Iraq's infrastructure needs, as well as provincial connections with the Kurdistan region and the border provinces," Khatibzade said about the purpose of the Foreign Minister's visit to Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan.
"We do not consider the peace and stability of Iraq apart from the peace and stability of Iran, and we do not think that without the development of peace and stability across the borders, we can also seriously develop security in the border areas," he added.
Path to security in region going through internal dialogue
The spokesman also commented on remarks by the Saudi ambassador to the United Nations, who made accusations against Iran and called on the international community to reach a stronger agreement with Iran, saying, "The path to security in the region goes through intra-regional dialogue, and the more this atmosphere is formed through dialogue, the more beneficial it will be for peace and stability in the Persian Gulf."
Zionist regime root of all unrests
Khatibzadeh also pointed to the recent Zionist moves in the region, saying, "The Zionist regime is the root of all unrest, and Iran will not allow this usurper regime to further endanger the security of the region."
US has no good record of adhering to international law
In response to a question about the non-guarantee of the United States to leave the JCPOA again, the FM spokesman said, "In the international system and international law, the highest guarantee is the guarantee of the UN Security Council. These are guarantees that are written in international treaties, but not all of these guarantees lead to the fulfillment of countries' obligations.
Stating that the JCPOA has the highest international guarantee because Security Council Resolution 2231 has made it binding, Khatibzadeh said, "The United States has shown that it violates even if it has signed a treaty, like the Iran-US friendship MOU, which has been ratified by the US Congress."
"The Trump administration also withdrew from the congressionally approved short-range missile treaty with Russia and did not accept any commitments," he added.
"The United States has no good record of adhering to international law. So what is important is that the full implementation of the commitments will be verified," he noted.
"It should not be forgotten that the Islamic Republic of Iran will not remain silent in the face of lack of commitments," the Iranian diplomat stressed.
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