TEHRAN (Iran News) –Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has stated Tehran’s retaliatory attacks against Israel presented a new definition of the balance of power in the West Asia region.

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In an interview with CNN aired on Wednesday, Amirabdollahian said Iran has informed the US through mediators that the parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action are “on the path to reach an accord,” but warned that this might change if the US side hangs back.

“Our relationship with the IAEA is on its correct, natural path, and we have said this to the US side through mediators that we are on the path to reach an accord but if the Iranian Parliament adopts a new law, then we’ll have to abide by the parliamentary act,” he said.

“So the window for an accord is still open but this window will not remain open forever,” he added.

Amirabdollahian also made clear that the Islamic Republic of Iran has been and is the most committed of all the parties involved in the diplomatic endeavors to restore the JCPOA, which was abandoned by the United States in 2018.

“The party that left the JCPOA was [former US president Donald] Trump and the United States,” he said. “The United States should not adopt a deceptive behavior and instead should return to the JCPOA and adopt a constructive approach.”

“The US party has been sending us positive messages through diplomatic channels but in its media remarks, they made very deceptive remarks that are totally different, and really, as the Iranian foreign minister, sometimes I have serious doubts,” he added.

The Iranian foreign minister noted that even though the administration of President Ebrahim Raisi sees some flaws and shortcomings in the JCPOA, it has decided to continue with the dialogue in order to restore the multilateral accord, provided that all the parties come back to the negotiating table and do their utmost to reach an agreement.

Iran showed to the world the peaceful nature of its nuclear program by signing the JCPOA with six world states — namely the US, Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China. But, Washington’s unilateral withdrawal in May 2018 and its subsequent re-imposition of sanctions against Tehran left the future of the deal in limbo.

Elsewhere in his interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Amirabdollahian criticized the United States for playing the blame game and accusing Iran of not having the “necessary resolve.”

“I will tell you expressively that in the past few years, we saw that the US officials were unable to make a decision because of their own internal problems and the pressures they are under. They are still unable to make a courageous decision to return to the JCPOA,” he said.

The Iranian foreign minister added that the country has shown its initiative on many occasions and “the fact is that we are still on the path of dialogue and we still want to reach an accord.”

Amirabdollahian, however, emphasized that the Iranian government has faced a lot of pressure internally since the United States and three European parties to the JCPOA – Britain, France and Germany—interfered in Iran’s internal affairs when protests erupted in the country back in September.

“I was in Parliament last week and they said ‘who do you want to make an agreement with? With the United States and three European countries that have been trying to change the system during the riots in the fall? Why are you negotiating with them? How can you trust them?’”

Elsewhere in the interview, Amirabdollahian said Iran has a roadmap with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding bilateral cooperation, adding that Massimo Aparo, the agency’s deputy director general and the head of the Department of Safeguards, visited Iran in the past two weeks on two occasions.

He noted that Aparo held “constructive and productive” negotiations with Iranian officials while Iran also invited the IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi to come to Tehran soon.

Meanwhile he called out CNN’s misinformation on Iran, including a report about alleged sexual abuse of female detainees, noting that the American broadcaster published “biased and false” reports related to recent riots in Iran.

When the anchor referred to CNN’s report that claims some Iranian women were tortured and raped under arrest, the Iranian minister said that “there have been so many such baseless claims made in social media and the media”.

“We have seen some of CNN’s reports that are biased and false,” the top Iranian diplomat said, calling out CNN’s fake news campaign against Iran.

He also noted that “no one was arrested in peaceful demonstrations,” adding, “however, in those protests that had turned violent, some individuals who had come from outside the country and were using firearms and killing the police were arrested.”

The remarks come as on November 21, 2022, CNN published a detailed report on Iran’s security forces “using rape to quell protests.”

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During the talks Amir Abdollahian called on the IAEA to take technical and non-political approaches, pointing to a number of initiatives devised jointly by Iran and the UN nuclear agency for the resolution of disputes over the Safeguards Agreement.

Highlighting the dialogue that has taken place between Iran and the IAEA in regards to the Safeguards Agreement, Amir Abdollahian said, “We are making arrangements for the (director general of the International Atomic Energy) Agency’s visit to Tehran and have joint initiatives on the agenda.”

The top Iranian diplomat underlined that if the UN nuclear agency acts in a technical and non-political manner, a framework for dealing with the issues may be achieved.

Amir Abdollahian also criticized some European countries for supporting pro-terrorist organizations living outside Iran, saying the overwhelming participation of Iranians in the Feb. 11 demonstrations marking the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution is an indication that the Islamic Republic enjoys public support.

Referring to the U.S.’s torn and out-of-date policy of sanctions against Iran, he added, “The European Union’s conduct in recent months is the repeat of the ineffective policy of ex-U.S. president Trump which indicates the resumption of the double and implausible standards accompanied with instrumental use of human rights principles.”

Amir Abdollahian also emphasized that Iran has consistently advocated for a truce and diplomatic solutions to the Ukrainian conflict as he further emphasized the need to put an end to the violence in Ukraine.

“From Iran’s perspective, preserving countries’ territorial integrity would ensure enduring peace, like in Ukraine, and we have spared no effort to pursue a truce and achieve peace,” he said.

Borrell, for his part, voiced doubt that a truce can be reached in Ukraine in the upcoming weeks or perhaps months.

The EU foreign policy chief emphasized the necessity of continuing the conversations in order to advance the topics under discussion while highlighting the optimism for progress made in the course of collaboration between Iran and the IAEA.
Writing on his Twitter account, Abdollahian said, “Tonight on telephone with @JosepBorrellF discussed Iran-EU ties, JCPOA, Iran-IAEA cooperation and Ukraine developments. Emphasized that I.R. Iran relies upon its people and this was proven once again on February 11th (national day) this year.”

Borrell and Amir Abdollahian also spoke about other topics, including the negotiations to end sanctions against Iran and cooperation between Iran and the European Union.

Iran and the IAEA are now at odds over the Agency’s claims against Tehran’s peaceful nuclear activity.

These accusations came just as the Islamic Republic and other signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and the U.S. looked to be close to reaching an agreement on renewing the pact.

Iran has asserted that reaching an agreement on the resurrection of the nuclear accord is contingent upon the IAEA to abandon unsubstantiated claims over Iran’s nuclear program, insisting that without doing so, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has no purpose.

Furthermore, due to Washington’s staunch insistence on maintaining its hardline position of not agreeing to lift all the sanctions that were placed on the Islamic Republic by the Trump administration, the talks to save the JCPOA have been at a stalemate since August 2022.

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Abdollahian made the remarks in a phone call with OIC Secretary General Yousef al-Othaimeen on Monday.

Pointing to the acts of terrorism by Daesh in Afghanistan, he threw Iran’s weight behind more active role of the OIC, particularly its chief, in dealing with the ongoing problems in the war-ravaged country.

Noting that said extremist groups are among the most important challenges facing the region, Abdollahian emphasized that the OIC chief and its members should condemn Daesh’s inhumane measures, including the group’s recent “terrorist and criminal” attacks at two mosques in the Afghan cities of Kunduz and Kandahar.

More than 60 people were killed in three back-to-back explosions that hit the Bibi Fatima mosque during Friday prayers in Kandahar. It came just a week after a bomb attack killed more than 50 worshippers and left over 140 others injured at a Shia mosque in the northeastern city of Kunduz.

Both tragedies were claimed by a local affiliate of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, which has a long history of attacking Afghanistan’s Shia minority.

In a telephone conversation with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, late on Monday, the Iranian foreign minister also said it is “necessary” that terrorist attacks in Afghanistan be condemned by “all Muslim countries in the world”.

Abdollahian also said the current rulers of Afghanistan should provide security for the people and launch an “effective campaign” against terrorist groups.

In another phone call with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Iran’s chief diplomat said terrorist attacks on Afghan worshippers coupled with new wave of Afghan refugees have made the duty of the UN heavier than ever.

President Ebrahim Raeisi of Iran said on Sunday that Daesh terrorism seeks to complete a failed mission pursued by Western occupiers in Afghanistan, calling on Afghan officials to use national capacities and ensure security in the country.

OIC says Afghanistan should not turn into terrorist groups’ safe haven

Othaimeen, for his part, outlined the OIC measures to resolve problems in Afghanistan and said the country should not turn into a safe haven for terrorist groups.

He stressed the importance of forming an inclusive government in Afghanistan, observing human rights, particularly rights of women, and showing solidarity with the Afghan people.

Professor Paul Pillar, a nonresident senior fellow of the Center for Security Studies at Georgetown University, tells the Tehran Times that “the Taliban need to be far more inclusive so that they can credibly represent themselves as a government for all Afghans.”  Pillar says “so far the regime the Taliban have erected is very narrow, consisting mainly of Pashtun men who are not representative of the whole population in terms of ethnicity, religion, or gender.”

Othaimeen emphasized that the OIC does not discriminate between followers of Islam and believes that all Muslims enjoy equal human rights.

Muslims and worshippers of any religion should not be targeted by terrorist attacks, the OIC secretary general said.

Othaimeen also pointed to recent talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia, expressing hope that such negotiations and contacts would continue and result in positive outcomes for both countries.

Iraq has hosted several rounds of direct talks between Iranian and Saudi delegations since April with the aim of resurrecting relations severed five years ago over a host of issues.

The negotiations were launched under Iran’s former President Hassan Rouhani, and continued with renewed vigor by the new administration headed by Raeisi.

The Iranian foreign minister also praised efforts by the OIC secretariat to help facilitate the reopening of Iran’s mission to the organization in the Saudi port city of Jeddah.

Speaking at his weekly press conference on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia have progressed based on “mutual respect”.

He said the two sides have discussed “bilateral and regional issues” in the ongoing talks, with Iran underlining its concerns in unambiguous words.

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The Iranian parliament held a closed meeting on Sunday at which Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian briefed the lawmakers on a variety of pressing issues including the situation around the stalled nuclear talks between Iran and world powers over reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The Iranian foreign ministry didn’t give any details about the session, but some lawmakers offered an important glimpse into the assessment Abdollahian gave to the parliament.

According to these lawmakers, the Iranian foreign ministry addressed many issues ranging from tensions with Azerbaijan to the latest developments in Iranian-Western relations especially with regard to the JCPOA.

On Azerbaijan, Abdollahian has warned Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev against falling into the trap set by Israel, according to Alireza Salimi, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s presiding board who attended the meeting. Salimi also said that the Iranian foreign minister urged Aliyev to not implicate himself in the “Americans’ complexed scheme.”

In addition to Azerbaijan, Abdollahian also addressed the current state of play between Iran and the West regarding the JCPOA.

“Regarding the nuclear talks, the foreign minister explicitly stated that the policy of the Islamic Republic is action for action, and that the Americans must show goodwill and honesty,” Salimi told Fars News on Sunday.

The remarks were in line with Iran’s oft-repeated stance on the JCPOA negotiations. What’s new is that the foreign minister determined Iran’s agenda for talks after they resume.

Salimi quoted Abdollahian as underlining that the United States “must certainly take serious action before the negotiations.”

In addition, the Iranian foreign minister said that Tehran intends to negotiate over what happened since former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the JCPOA, not other issues.

By expanding the scope of negotiations, Abdollahian is highly likely to strike a raw nerve in the West. His emphasis on the need to address the developments ensuing the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA in May 2018 could signal that the new government of President Ayatollah Seyed Ebrahim Raisi is not going to pick up where the previous government left.

This has been a major concern in European diplomatic circles in the wake of the change of administrations in Iran. In fact, the Europeans and the Biden administration have been, and continue to be, worried about two things in the aftermath of Ayatollah Raisi taking the reins in Tehran; one is he refusing to accept the progress made during six rounds of talks under his predecessor Hassan Rouhani. Second, the possibility that the new government of Ayatollah Raisi would refuse to return to Vienna within a certain period of time.

With Abdollahian speaking of negotiation over developments since Trump’s withdrawal, it seems that the Europeans will have to pray that their concerns would not come true.

Of course, the Iranian foreign ministry has not yet announced that how it would deal with a resumed negotiation. But the European are obviously concerned. Before his recent visit to Tehran to encourage it into returning to Vienna, Deputy Director of the EU Action Service Enrique Mora underlined the need to prick up talks where they left in June, when the last round of nuclear talks was concluded with no agreement.

“Travelling to Tehran where I will meet my counterpart at a critical point in time. As coordinator of the JCPOA, I will raise the urgency to resume #JCPOA negotiations in Vienna. Crucial to pick up talks from where we left last June to continue diplomatic work,” Mora said on Twitter.

Mora failed to obtain a solid commitment from his interlocutors in Tehran on a specific date to resume the Vienna talk, though Iran told him that it will continue talks with the European Union in the next two weeks.

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“The diplomatic atmosphere in the recent meetings of the United Nations General Assembly indicated that conditions have changed in favor of Syria,” Abdollahian said in a meeting with Syria President Bashar al-Assad, according to Press TV.

Abdollahian also hailed close contacts between Iranian and Syrian officials as a sign of deep-rooted relations between the two countries and extended his congratulations to the Syrian president over the Arab country’s victories in the political and international arenas.

The top Iranian diplomat also outlined Tehran’s stance on developments in Afghanistan, saying, “We are in contact with all sides in Afghanistan, including the Taliban and invite them to form an inclusive government.”

He also said that the new Iranian administration is seeking to achieve sustainable economic development even if the cruel foreign sanctions against the country remain in place.

Abdollahian also said Iran will soon return to the Vienna talks intended to revitalize the 2015 nuclear deal it clinched with world powers with a plan to receive the necessary guarantees of verifiable implementation of obligations by the Western parties.

“If the [Vienna] talks yield results, we will take advantage of it to accelerate the implementation of our country’s development plan. But, we will not halt the advancement of our plans because of the talks,” he pointed out.

The U.S., under former president Donald Trump, unilaterally quit the multilateral nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and reinstated crippling sanctions on the Islamic Republic, although the country had been fully compliant with the agreement. Trump jettisoned the JCPOA with the illusion of forcing Iran to give in to a rewriting of the JCPOA text.

In early April, Iran and the remaining parties to the JCPOA began to hold talks in Vienna after the U.S. administration of Joe Biden voiced willingness to rejoin the nuclear agreement and lift the draconian sanctions his predecessor had slapped on Iran.

Since the beginning of the Vienna talks, Tehran has argued that the U.S.—as the first party that violated the JCPOA—needs to take the first step by returning to full compliance with the agreement. Tehran also says it will resume all of its nuclear commitments under the deal only after the U.S. removes all the sanctions in practice.

“U.S. refuses to shoulder responsibility for its record in Afghanistan

For his part the Syrian president said the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan shows the decline and collapse of Western powers, Press TV reported.

Assad said regional countries and Afghanistan’s neighbors know that the U.S. refrains from shouldering responsibility for its actions and policies in the country.

The U.S. hasty and scandalous exit from Afghanistan after two decades of fruitless war has made Washington look an unreliable partner in the eyes of its allies in Europe, West Asia, and East Asia.

“U.S. seeking to pit Afghanistan’s neighbors against each other”

The Syrian leader added that Iran has the capacity and needs to enter into negotiations with its neighbors and other key players in order to help improve the situation in Afghanistan because the Americans are seeking to pit Afghanistan’s neighbors against each other.

American forces occupied the country for about two decades under the pretext of fighting against the Taliban which had given sanctuary to al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was considered responsible for the September 11 attacks. But while the U.S. had not still completed its exit from the Central Asian country, the Taliban stormed into Kabul and the Afghan government collapsed and President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

The Taliban group has pledged to allow the formation of a broad-based and representative government. Concerns, however, remain given its drawn-out history of violence.

“Syria FM to visit Iran in near future”

The Iranian foreign minister also called Syria as “strategic ally” of Iran.

Abdollahian made the remarks after talks with his Syrian counterpart, Faisal Mekdad.

Iran’s chief diplomat said Tehran has proven that it would never leave alone its friends in difficult times.

Abdollahian also said the Syrian foreign minister would make a visit to Tehran within the next days.

He added, “We seek to implement the agreements we have made in recent weeks in telephone conversations between the two presidents at various political, security and economic levels.”

The senior diplomat expressed hope that Tehran and Damascus would improve relations in tourism, trade and joint venture.

Pointing to the latest regional developments, the top Iranian diplomat said, “There are concerns about various issues in the region. We are still witnessing the presence of terrorism and Zionism in the Caucasus region while an inclusive government with participation of all ethnic groups has not been formed in Afghanistan.”

Abdollahian visited Damascus on Saturday to hold talks with Syrian officials. He was welcomed by his Syrian counterpart at Damascus International Airport.

Syria was the third destination of the Iranian foreign minister after visits to Russia and Lebanon.

It was also his second visit to Syria since assuming the post of foreign minister. On August 29, he met with the Syrian president in Damascus.

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During the meeting in the Syrian capital on Sunday, Amir Abdollahian and President Assad called for broadening of economic cooperation between the two countries through joint economic commission and other existing related mechanisms.

During the meeting, Amir Abdollahian congratulated President Assad on holding a successful presidential election.

The Iranian foreign minister also briefed President Assad on the Iraqi summit in which he attended a day before.

The Syrian president, for his part, thanked Iran’s support for his country and outlined his views on bilateral ties and also cooperation between Tehran and Damascus regarding regional and international issues.

Amir Abdollahian declared on Sunday that Tehran and Damascus are in talks to devise plans to fight against the U.S. sanctions.

“We had very useful talks with my dear brother Mr. Faisal al-Mikdad about expanding and strengthening our relations as much as possible. The two countries are drawing up a plan for the active development of economic and trade cooperation to counter the oppressive sanctions imposed by the enemies,” Amir Abdollahian said in a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart Faisal al-Mikdad in Damascus.

“We examined the latest developments in the region. We believe that any political and security arrangements in the region will be achieved with the presence and participation of all the regional states, including the Syrian Arab Republic, and in this direction we consider the role of Iraq and Syria important to help establish new regional arrangements in the political, security and economic fields,” he added.

“The presence of foreign forces in the region will not contribute to the lasting security and stability in this sensitive region,” Amir Abdollahian said.

He added that Iran and Syria have close consultations on developments in Afghanistan and believe that forming an all-inclusive government in Afghanistan is a political solution that should be considered by all parties.

“The Zionists are an important factor in fomenting insecurity in the region. Zionists have held captive the Muslims, Christians and even Jews in the historic land of Palestine,” Amir Abdollahian said.

He described consultations and cooperation among the regional and Muslim states as important in creating sustainable security in the region, and said, “Serious cooperation between the private sector and businessmen of the two countries is one of the issues seriously pursued by both sides during this trip.”

The new Iranian foreign minister arrived in Damascus on Sunday as the second destination of his first diplomatic tour to the region.

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“During #ISIS crisis in #Iraq, the #US was informed abt its commanders’ links w/Daesh leaders in Mosul. No convincing response was given,” Amir Abdollahian tweeted on Monday evening.

“The US now attacks Iraq territorial integrity, independence & bombing antiterrorism stronghold,” Amir Abdollahian said.

“#WhiteHouse apparent backing for ISIS,” he added.

On Sunday, U.S. forces conducted drone strikes on a number of Kata’ib Hezbollah bases in Iraq’s western Anbar province, killing at least 25 individuals and leaving another 51 injured, according to the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU).

The targeted Kata’ib Hezbollah forces belonged to brigades 45 and 46 of the PMU, according to PMU official Jawad Kazim al-Rabi’awi.

Iraqi President Barham Salih condemned the attacks as being unacceptable and damaging for the country, adding that the strikes were contrary to security agreements inked between Baghdad and Washington, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

Major General Abdul Karim Khalaf, spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, also said that Adel Abdul-Mahdi, currently Iraq’s caretaker prime minister, has voiced his opposition to the attacks in a message to U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper.

“Bombing PMU bases is a dangerous aggravation which endangers the security of Iraq and the region,” Iraqi media sources cited Abdul-Mahdi as saying.

Iran also denounced U.S. airstrikes against Iraqi forces as a “clear example of terrorism”.

“U.S. military aggression against the Iraqi soil and positions of al-Hashd al-Shaabi forces is a clear example of terrorism and is strongly condemned,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said in a statement on Monday, using the Arabic name of the PMU.

Foreign Minister Zarif also reacted to the incident, saying the U.S. kills people thousands of miles beyond its borders in the name of self-defense.

“The recent U.S. measure in Baghdad was merely an example of such U.S. behavior in the region,” he said in Moscow on Monday, upon meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.

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Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made these remarks in a meeting with the United Nation’s Representative in Tehran Gary Lewis.

At the beginning of this meeting, Amir-Abdollahian conveyed Parliament speaker and representative’s concern over the upsetting situation of Myanmar Muslims and said that abysmal catastrophes are happening in Myanmar and the Parliament will try to resolve this tragic crisis within its diplomatic capacities.

Pointing to Iranian Parliament Speaker’s message to the his counterparts in the world, especially in Muslim countries, Amir-Abdollahian said Iran’s parliament speaker has ordered Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the Chairman of Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission to form a task force in order to follow up on the situation of Myanmar Muslim, help resolve the crisis and send humanitarian aids.

During this meeting, he also exchanged views on the situation in Yemen, Bahrain’s state of affairs and unfavorable consequences of Kurdish referendum on the political stability of Iraq and the region’s security.

Gary Lewis for his part stated “the United Nations will follow up on the region’s developments and Myanmar’s crisis, and the General Secretary has some novel ideas to solve the predicament.” He also said that he will mention Iranian parliament speaker and representative’s concern over the region’s state of affairs and the Kurdish referendum to the General Secretary of the United Nations.

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