TEHRAN (Iran News) – Foreign Ministry Spokesman says Iran says the U.S.’s behavior would determine whether Tehran would hold “direct talks” with Washington over the revival of the 2015 agreement.
“We make decisions based on the behavior of the US and not on non-transparent messages,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters on Monday when asked about Tehran’s stance on having direct talks with the U.S.
Khatibzadeh stressed that the request for direct negotiations “would make sense only when we know the reason for that meeting”.
“To date, we did not observe any change in the behavior of the U.S. and the maximum pressure [campaign] on Iran’s people has been ongoing,” the spokesman said.
Khatibzadeh also said: “Russia’s approach has been constructive to date and we have gathered in Vienna to reach a collective agreement. We are waiting for them to give us more details if they have.”
Commenting on reports of Russia’s withdrawal from the JCPOA that have been circulated on social media, Khatibzadeh noted that, “We don’t have reliable news on this issue, but China and Russia have so far acted responsibly.”
Asked about a prisoner swap between Iran and the US, the spokesman said the two sides have made progress in related talks, adding that the humanitarian issue could be resolved “if the American side fulfills its obligations this time, and does not backtrack on the eve of the implementation [of an agreed deal]”.
Khatibzadeh, in his remarks, also said that the agreement is going to be reached in Vienna is the one that will determine the path of return of the United States in exchange for full commitment, and this path will not be overnight.
Referring to the agreement between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its impact on the Vienna talks, Khatibzadeh said: “Grossi’s visit was made within the framework of technical agreements between Iran and the IAEA.”
He added that during Grossi’s visit, which was preceded by talks in Vienna, comprehensive technical cooperation between Iran and the IAEA was agreed upon so that we will have a multi-stage agreement.
The IAEA chief had questions about some places in Iran, and the country’s officials answered them. Therefore; It was agreed that in the next one or two months, all questions will be answered with technical cooperation between Iran and the Agency. There is a direct link between the closure of these questions and the agreement in Vienna. This agreement must be reached simultaneously with the one which is going to be reached in Vienna and would be as a part of that.
Khatibzadeh said: “The agreement that is going to be reached in Vienna is the one that will determine the path of return of the United States in exchange for full commitment, and this path will not be overnight for the US, and a time frame has been defined for it.” What is defined in Tehran between Iran and the IAEA is comprehensive technical cooperation.
What has been agreed between Iran and the IAEA has a maximum time, and if the IAEA is ready to resolve it sooner, it will be unimpeded.
He called Iran’s relation with Afghanistan as kinship ties.
Talking about the latest developments in Afghanistan, he stated: “Our relations with the people in Afghanistan and the personality and the country of Afghanistan are kinship.”
As we all hear the voice of Ferdowsi, we have always had the same view in relations with brothers and sisters in Afghanistan, and kinship relations have helped us host a large crowd of Afghan people and prepare the ground for hosting a comprehensive Afghanistan- dialogue in Iran.
