TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian foreign minister said that Iran welcomes diplomacy to resolve differences in the nuclear talks, warning Washington about its hypocritical behavior in blaming Iran for not concluding the talks.
Hossein Amirabdollahian made the remarks in a joint press conference in Baghdad after meeting with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein.
Amirabdollahian pointed to the visit of the IAEA delegation to Tehran and said, “Within the framework of the conclusion of negotiations, the officials of the International Atomic Energy Agency will visit Tehran in the coming days.”
“We hope that Mr. Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the Agency, with a technical view and far from political excitement, will reach a conclusion and agreement with my colleagues in the Atomic Energy Organization [of Iran] in order to resolve the difference…,” the top Iranian diplomat said.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has never sought to acquire nuclear weapons and atomic bombs, and the fatwa of the Leader Imam Khamenei also reaffirms this issue,” he added.
“We are ready to take a step towards concluding the talks conducted in Vienna based on the previous negotiations and respecting the Islamic Republic of Iran’s redlines,” he said.
He went on to point out that the Americans send contradictory messages to Iran on their alleged desire to conclude the Vienna talks, warning Washington not to take a different path in contradiction to Iran’s positive stance.
“I emphasized to my brother Mr. Fuad Hussein in today’s talks that the Islamic Republic of Iran has always welcomed negotiations and the path of diplomacy, and we, in the new Iranian government, have worked for months to conclude and reach a good, strong and durable agreement, and now we are ready to meet,” the Iranian diplomat said.
“But if the American side opts for a different path, we are also ready to implement Plan B and step in a different path, and all options are available to us and are on the table,” he noted.
Elsewhere, he stressed the need for suing and bringing to justice the perpetrators behind the assassination of anti-terror commanders Haj Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis in cooperation with the Iraqi judicial authorities.
“We have always welcomed Iraq’s positive and constructive role in regional developments. We have welcomed Iraq’s policy in the direction of opening and developing relations with the countries of the region, the Arab world, and the Islamic world, and we pay attention to this important issue through a positive prospect,” Amirabdollahian further said about relations with neighboring Iraq.
He also expressed his gratitude to the Iraqi government for its endeavors to restore Tehran’s relations with Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
He thanked Hussein and the Iraqi government for their attempts to strengthen the dialogue and cooperation between Iran and Saudi Arabia as well as Iran and Egypt.
“Within the framework of boosting cooperation with Muslim countries and the region, we welcome the restoration of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia and Egypt,” he said. “We express gratitude to Fuad Hussein’s efforts in closing the gaps between the two sides.”
The Iraqi minister, for his part, emphasized in the joint press conference that coordination and understandings with Tehran continue and that Baghdad hopes that Iran and the United States will return to the negotiating table.
“We hope that the Iranian and American sides will return to the negotiating table regarding the nuclear issue, reaching an understanding between Iran and the United States is important for Iraq,” the Iraqi minister said.
Hussein once again stressed that Baghdad will not allow any group or country to use its soil to attack other countries.
