Iran’s diplomacy train not derailed: Spox

Tehran, IRNA – Foreign Minister Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that Iran continues to move along the diplomatic path and this train hasn’t yet derailed. Asked about the state of play in negotiations to remove sanctions against Iran, Khatibzadeh said during his weekly press conference on Monday that the United States’ double standard policy has been obvious to everyone and Iran would listen to the Americans only if they were willing to make up for former President Donald Trump’s mistakes. But the current US administration’s behavior follows the same failed Trump policies against Iran, the spokesman added. He noted that the current situation with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is caused by the US withdrawal from the deal and its adoption of the so-called maximum pressure which led to “abject failure” in their own words. The diplomat advised the US to return immediately to the path of rejoining the JCPOA, as Iran was ready for a good, sustainable deal. Asked about Iran’s proposal to the US before the adoption of the anti-Iran resolution in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors, Khatibzadeh said that Tehran made every effort to pave the way for the deal before the adoption. It was Iran’s initiatives all along that moved the talks forward despite all US disruptions and time-wasting, as said by the spokesman. He also said that Iran submitted its proposal to the US through the EU foreign policy chief and two other foreign ministers before the resolution was adopted, but Washington chose to postpone the agreement. The US went to the Board of Governors with the illusion that it was going to gain leverage, but it faced Iran’s decisive and appropriate response, Khatibzadeh noted, adding that a deal can be finalized if the US implements its commitments under the JCPOA. Iran has always advised IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi to comment within the framework of his technical duties, he said, adding that the agency should ask its questions through provisioned channels, not via the media. On the Iranian tanker seized by Greece, he said that the legal procedure was under process in Greece, expressing hope that Iran could see the release of its ship in action. He confirmed the reports on the settlement of Iraq’s debt to Iran, saying that the transaction was done through TBI Bank. He also said that South Korea has so far failed to unfreeze Iran’s funds blocked there, but Iran gives some time to the country to show its determination to release the funds. Khatibzadeh said that Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was going to visit Tehran later this week, as the two countries seek to expand cooperation in Eurasia and the Caucasus. Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish