TEHRAN (Iran News) –A new report shows that Iran’s oil exports rose by half in 2023 despite sanctions imposed on Tehran by Washington.

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The move came after intensive diplomacy between Iran and Iraq. A few weeks ago, Iranian Ambassador to Iraq Mohammad Kazem Al Sadeq met with the governor of Iraq’s Central Bank Mustafa Ghaleb Mokhif in Baghdad to discuss ways to clear Baghdad’s gas and electricity debts to Iran. During the meeting, they discussed aspects of banking and economic cooperation between the two countries, the payment of financial dues from Iraq, and overcoming the obstacles facing the work of Iranian companies in the country, according to Iraqi media.

The repayments of Iraq’s debts faced two major problems. First, the Iraqi Parliament’s delay in approving the country’s fiscal budget. Second, U.S. unilateral sanctions on Iran.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi had sought to find a solution to both issues. He said that “one of the problems that affected the delay in the payment of dues to Iran is the absence of the budget.”

It seems that this issue has been resolved in recent weeks. Al-Kadhimi said Iraq’s debts date back to before 2020. Al-Kadhimi had cleared the responsibility of his government, which was formed in May 2020, from Iran’s gas debt, amounting to about $1.6 billion. He said, “There are no debts owed by the current government regarding Iranian gas.”
Iraq’s Electricity Ministry echoed a similar thing in its statement announcing the repayment of debts. “The ministry announces the start of the payment procedures that will be completed within the next two days, bearing in mind that the issue of financial obligations towards neighboring Iran is one of the problems carried over by previous governments, and the current government has borne it, by heading towards internal borrowing to pay off debts, which were not paid due to the scarcity of financial allocations resulting from not approving the budget for that year,” it said.

After much bickering, Iraq paid its debts to Iran. And Tehran confirmed that it received its money from Iraq.

Iranian Oil Minister Javad Oji announced that Iran had received $1.6 billion in arrears for gas exports to Iraq.

“In light of the active energy diplomacy, and after several months of negotiations, we received, hours ago, $1.6 billion in arrears due from past years regarding gas exports to Iraq,” Oji wrote on Twitter.

“Since the beginning of this (Iranian) year (beginning on March 21) compared to the same period last year, the country’s gas exports have increased by 25%, and the receipt of hard currency earnings from it has increased by 90%,” he added.

Iraq relies on Iranian gas to operate electric power plants. Earlier, the Iraqi Minister of Electricity Adel Karim announced that Iraq needs Iranian gas for 5-10 years while confirming the ministry’s agreement with the Iranian side to supply the country with 50 million cubic meters of gas per day.

The repayment of Iraq’s debts to Iran came at a time when U.S. unilateral sanctions against Iran are still in place. This may be the reason why some analysts underlined the need for South Korea to follow in the footsteps of Iraq. South Korea owes Iran $7 billion in oil debts and has been reluctant to clear its debts. Iran has called on Seoul to pay its debts but the Iranian demand has fallen on deaf ears.

South Korea has linked the repayment of debts to the outcome of talks in Vienna over reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh pointed to South Korea’s stonewalling in his Monday presser. “A new government has come to power in [South] Korea and they have made promises that they want to pay off Iran’s debt, but we have not seen any move,” he said.

Khatibzadeh noted, “We are waiting to see the difference between the new government and the previous non-compliant government in terms of debt repayment.”

He then appeared to compare South Korea with Iraq. “We give the new Korean government time to show in practice what it is doing to repay its debts, like the friends we had in the region,” he said.

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Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh on Monday blamed the United States for the delay in reaching an agreement on the revival of the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA, slamming Washington’s double standards.

His remarks come as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s Board of Governors has recently passed a resolution, proposed by the U.S. and the three European parties to the JCPOA – Britain, France, and Germany, which accuses Tehran of failing to fully cooperate with the UN nuclear agency.

Referring to Iran’s efforts to achieve progress in the revival talks, Khatibzadeh noted that Iran has submitted its initiatives to Washington via European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

“Ahead of the meeting of the Board of Governors, Iran’s initiative was conveyed to the other side via Borrell, and for the first time, through two foreign ministers, Iran’s initiative and proposal was conveyed and a roadmap was submitted, but the U.S. once again decided to delay this agreement,” he said at a weekly press conference.

“If the U.S. fulfills its commitments under the JCPOA and lifts sanctions imposed on the Iranian nation, We can finalize an agreement based on Iran’s initiative.”

Khatibzadeh stressed Tehran’s adherence to diplomacy.

“The American side must return to the path of signing an agreement as soon as possible,” he said, expressing Tehran’s readiness for “a good, sustainable, effective agreement”.

Meanwhile, Khatibzadeh expressed hope that the cargo seized by Greece from an Iranian oil tanker will be released “in practice”.

According to a statement issued by Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization (PMO) on June 14, the Greek government ordered the release of the ship and its cargo despite sustained US efforts to do otherwise.

Late last month, Reuters quoted an unnamed Greek source as saying that the US Department of Justice had confiscated 700,000 barrels of the Iranian oil cargo.

The source said that the oil cargo had been transferred to another ship hired by Washington and will be sent to the US.

Referring to the two Greek oil tankers that have recently been seized by Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in the Persian Gulf over violations, the spokesman said the vessels are undergoing judicial procedures and the Greek government has tried to provide documents to ensure their release.

Tehran and Athens had friendly relations before the unilateral US imposition of sanctions against Iran and countries working with it. The export of Iran’s oil to Greece was halted as a result of the bans.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Khatibzadeh announced that Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will arrive in Tehran “at the end of the current week”, noting that Tehran seeks to enhance cooperation in the regions of Euroasia and Caucasus.

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Amir Abdollahian made the remarks at a meeting titled “Promising Steps ahead in Developing Trade Opportunities between Iran and India” Hyderabad, south India.

“I am accompanied by the Vice President, Mr. Hassan Kazemi Qomi, and he is in charge of the economic team in the field of global economy,” the foreign minister told the meeting organized by the Federation of Telangana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI).

He added that during his visit to Delhi, a very important agreement was signed that will have a great impact on activating the capacities of the two countries.

Amir Abdollahian held talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Wednesday.

“We had very constructive meetings in the friendly country of India and we heard very promising things from Prime Minister Modi, as well as the foreign minister of India in the development of trade between the two countries, especially in the private sector,” the foreign minister told the participants at the meeting.

Emphasizing that there are enormous capacities to accelerate trade and economic relations, Iran’s top diplomat said that the existing cultural and civilizational commonalities are valuable capacities to advance economic and trade ties. “The closeness of the two nations throughout history is another opportunity. For centuries, trade has been a great experience and capital.”

Predicating that the oppressive sanctions of the United States against Iran will come to an end, Amir Abdollahian said that most of the sanctions against Iran were in the field of defense.

“(Yet) in the defense field, we have the strongest and best achievements,” the foreign minister underlined.

Pointing out that other sanctions were focused on preventing Iran’s scientific and technological progress, he said that Iran is at the top in the field of science and technology today.

“The new government is determined to implement a sustainable economic program as soon as possible,” the foreign minister elaborated.

He went on to say that Iran will “neutralize the United States’ unilateral sanctions, as these sanctions have no place in the global community.”

Amir Abdollahian added that all the businesspeople present in the meeting have a common goal to accelerate trade ties between Iran and India.

“We can bring trade between the two countries to a peak,” he said, adding that trade relations are at their best.

“In other words, the leaders of the two countries have prepared the ground in the best way,” the foreign minister remarked.

Amir Abdollahian then informed the businesspeople and reporters present at the meeting that an economic delegation from Iran’s Foreign Ministry and the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) will revisit New Delhi next week.

“My deputy and the team that will come to New Delhi from the Central Bank next week will discuss how to facilitate banking,” he said.

Inviting Indian businessmen and FTCCI members to visit Iran, the foreign minister said, “I request the esteemed FTCCI officials to hold reciprocal trips.”

He added that at least 40% of the economic activities in the Raisi administration have been assigned to the Foreign Ministry.

Stating that cooperation between different institutions of India and Iran can be formed and strengthened, the foreign minister said that in the Chabahar region, customs exemptions have been included and Iran and India are ready to provide facilities to expedite affairs.

Referring to the use of the capacity of Chabahar port for investment, Iran’s top diplomat told Indian businessmen in Hyderabad, “We have agreed with the high-ranking officials of the friendly country of India to provide more opportunities for investment from Chabahar port than before.”

“Of course, India is currently using the capacity of Chabahar port, but the capacity of this economic zone is also of special importance in another dimension. This port has provided a great opportunity for the use of various transit routes from the North to the South and the East to the West,” the foreign minister reiterated.

“Due to the seriousness of the prime minister and the officials of India in the comprehensive development of trade and economic cooperation, next week, the deputy minister of foreign affairs in economic diplomacy will travel to New Delhi. He will be accompanied by various delegations from the industrial, commercial, tourism, and customs sectors. Following the trip of me and my colleagues, the economic team of the Islamic Republic will come to New Delhi,” he once again reiterated.

In conclusion, the foreign minister noted that his colleagues in the Iranian embassy in New Delhi and the country’s consulates in Hyderabad and Mumbai are ready to provide any facilities to businessmen and traders and industrialists in the friendly country of India.

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The report claims that Iranian oil tankers have shipped at least $22 billion worth of oil only to China since 2021. The Iranian Oil Ministry, however, does not reject or approve the mentioned figure.

Although the statistics mentioned by the western media and press are not completely accurate, they indicate the increase in the Islamic Republic’s oil exports despite sanctions, Oil Ministry’s news portal Shana reported on Thursday.

According to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country’s oil exports have increased by 40 percent in recent months.

The term “ghost ships”, previously used by other publications such as The Wall Street Journal and Reuters, refers to Iranian oil tankers which carry cargoes around the world without being detected.

Earlier this month, the Managing Director of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) praised the significant role of the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) in bypassing sanctions and boosting the country’s oil exports during the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20).

“This success (increased sales of oil and gas condensate) came at a time when the sanction conditions have become even stricter,” Mohsen Khojasteh-Mehr said.

Iranian oil production increases by 7,000 barrels

Iran has been ramping up its oil production over the past few months following the recovery of the global markets from the negative impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and the developments in the Vienna talks.

The country’s crude oil production in March reached 2.546 million barrels per day (bpd) to register a 7,000-barrel increase compared to the figure for February, according to OPEC’s latest monthly report.

Iran produced 2.539 million bpd of crude oil in February, the report said citing secondary sources.

The Islamic Republic’s average crude output for the first quarter of 2022 stood at 2.528 million bpd indicating a 56,000-bpd increase compared to the figure for the fourth quarter of the previous year, the report indicated.

The country’s heavy crude oil price also increased by $19.36 in March, to register a 20.8 percent rise compared to the previous month, according to the OPEC report.

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“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.

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U.S. sanctions have prevented Iran from getting necessary medicine and equipment to fight against the virus, forcing the country to resort to its own means to tackle the problem.

Ayatollah Khamenei said on Sunday the arrogant powers’ joy at the suffering of the Iranian people has been manifested in events such as helping former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein gas Iranian troops and border towns and imposing a “medical embargo on the Iranian nation”.

“Given these facts, when nurses, with effort and self-sacrifice, put a smile on the lips of patients and their loved ones, they are in fact struggling against the malicious world of arrogance. This is the double value of the nursing community in the Islamic Iran,” the Leader said.

The coronavirus pandemic, however, “showed that if the nursing community is not strengthened, we will be hit hard”, Ayatollah Khamenei added.

Food, medicine and other humanitarian supplies are exempt from US sanctions imposed on Tehran in 2018 after President Donald Trump walked away from a 2015 international deal over Iran’s nuclear program.

But the U.S. measures, which target all sectors including oil and financial activities, have deterred foreign banks from processing financial transactions with Iran. Tehran says this has frequently disrupted efforts to import essential medicines and other humanitarian items.

The Leader made the remarks in a meeting with a group of Iranian nurses and families of health workers fallen in the line of duty in the fight against COVID-19 on the occasion of the birthday anniversary of Sayyida Zainab (SA), the granddaughter of Prophet Muhammad (Peace upon Him), and National Nurses Day.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the nature of nursing – that is observing the suffering of patients and caring for them around the clock – is bitter and harsh.

“In some junctures, such as the period of the Sacred Defense or the coronavirus, these difficulties have multiplied,” he said, referring to Saddam’s 1980-1988 war on Iran.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the sacrifices of the Iranian nurses merit to be recorded through art.

“With regard to narrating the difficulties of the work of nurses, we have a dearth of artistic production. These have artistic themes or in the language of art, they have dramatic themes. They can be used to make attractive art programs. Artists should come to the arena,” he said.

“You should recount the truths of your society, your country and your revolution. If you do not recount them, the enemy will do that. If you do not chronicle the revolution, the enemy will do it. If you do not narrate the incident of the Sacred Defense, the enemy will do it in whatever way it likes, making its own justification to tell lies and change the place of the oppressor and the oppressed.”

The Leader also paid tribute to women, saying they can be “a huge ocean of patience” and the “pinnacle of wisdom and prudence” at the same time.

Sayyida Zainab, he said, was able to show the great spiritual and intellectual capacity of women to the world.

“Sayyida Zainab, peace be upon her, showed two points: First, a woman can be a huge ocean of patience and second, a woman can be the pinnacle of wisdom and prudence.”

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Representatives of Iran and the other signatories of its 2015 nuclear deal will be in Austria starting November 29 to try to restore the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which the U.S. abandoned in 2018.

Iran, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany will resume six rounds of talks that stopped in June to allow Iran’s new president Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, to form his administration.

As before, the U.S. will participate indirectly in negotiations that if successful will see harsh US sanctions on Iran lifted, and bring Iran back to full compliance with the terms of the accord.

Iran has previously said it is ready for a “good agreement” in Vienna, but the U.S. must accept responsibility for reneging on the JCPOA, lift all sanctions imposed since 2018 at once, and guarantee it will not leave the deal again.

But the U.S. has said it is prepared to lift sanctions “inconsistent” with the accord, signaling it wishes to keep some of the human rights and “terrorism” sanctions imposed over the past three years. It has also said time to reach an agreement is running out as Iran’s nuclear program continues to advance.

What follows is a Q&A of Aljazeera TV with Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, who will lead the Iranian negotiating team in the Austrian capital. In written replies to Al Jazeera, he discusses Iran’s position in the talks on sanctions and nuclear advances, the region, and what it expects of European signatories.

Aljazeera: It appears Iran and the US have adopted conflicting positions prior to the Vienna talks, especially in terms of scope and ways of lifting sanctions. Considering the current situation, what is your assessment of the possibility of achieving a good agreement?

Ali Bagheri Kani: It is widely believed that the United States, by withdrawing from the JCPOA, breached the deal blatantly and violated UNSC Resolution 2231 flagrantly.

However, Iran, having overcome the so-called maximum pressure campaign, is sitting at the negotiating table with full preparedness, capacity and total commitment to the 2015 deal. That’s why the Americans, while resorting to deception, try to exploit the political and media environment in their own favor. But it is not to their advantage. They should accept reality and abide by all their commitments.

Q: You recently said “we don’t have nuclear negotiations” in Vienna since the terms of the JCPOA have been previously agreed upon. Does this mean that Iran can reverse its steps to advance its nuclear programme and limit IAEA inspections without needing talks? What will happen to a workgroup that was formed during the previous rounds of talks in Vienna to discuss nuclear issues?

A:Iran continues its nuclear activities legitimately within the framework stipulated in paragraphs 26 and 36 of the JCPOA, the reason behind which has been fully explained in the text of the nuclear deal. Until the violating and non-compliant party to the deal does not demonstrate, in practice, its commitment to the JCPOA, there is no reason for Iran to abandon its rights and entitlements guaranteed by the deal. Everything is clear and there is nothing ambiguous about the nuclear deal to negotiate.

The U.S. and the EU must show that they have the political will to implement what they agreed to do in 2015. They must overcome domestic considerations to resolve this.

Q:Iran has repeatedly stressed it won’t discuss its missile program or regional influence during the Vienna talks. If an agreement is reached in Vienna, will Iran be willing to discuss these issues after?

A:Countries of the region are the ones that must make decisions about the issues of the region. Any interference from outside the region will bring no benefit for any party. The experience of foreign intervention from outside the region in Iraq and Afghanistan indicates that murder, genocide, the destruction of infrastructure, the spread of terrorism as well as narcotics cultivation and trafficking have been the main outcome of intervention and manipulation by foreign powers during the past two decades. It’s their presence and interference that impedes constructive dialogue.

Q: If the talks in Vienna don’t yield results, what are Iran’s alternative plans to counter the sanctions and in dealing with Western powers? How do you think this will affect the future of the region?

A: Reliance on domestic capabilities and capacity has been a key to success for Iran over the past four decades. Experience has shown that self-reliance would prove more productive and fruitful than anything else in the sophisticated process of political, economic and even security and military developments. We have gone a long way and we are a patient people.

Q: What will Iran expect of European powers in the Vienna talks? Are they also expected to make any guarantees concerning their full future commitment?

A: Europeans should demonstrate their abidance by the JCPOA in action and not words, and put an end to non-compliance and the bankrupt policy of maximum pressure. Many Iranians wonder why the Europeans are at the negotiating table if they cannot make decisions independent of Washington.

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The most famous pirate of them all was probably Edward Teach, more commonly known as Blackbeard. Blackbeard was born in Bristol and started his career as a crew member for the pirate Benjamin Hornigold. He looked like a devil who had stepped right out of hell and onto a pirate ship and most of his victims simply surrendered their cargo rather than fight him.

Now after almost four centuries, it seems the British have not quit their bad habit and they still continue piracy but in a modern and sophisticated style by taking hostage and freezing the assets of countries under different pretexts.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the victims of the British piracy as the country’s money has been blocked in the UK despite the court’s order for its return. Britain owes as much as £450m to Iran arising from the non-delivery of Chieftain tanks ordered by Iran’s former monarchical regime. An international arbitration in 2008 ruled the UK owed the debt.

Before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Britain and Iran had relatively close relations, with Britain offering support to the Persian state in exchange for concessions in sectors such as oil and banking.

The relationship was bumpy at times: in 1953, Britain urged the CIA to carry out a coup against the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, who had nationalized the oil industry.

From 1971 to 1976, the ex-Shah of Iran – faced with the rise of Arab nationalists in Iraq and elsewhere – turned to Britain for a large order of tanks: 1,500 Chieftain battle tanks and 250 repair vehicles in total.

The bill added up to £650m, and the Shah paid it up front, rather than on delivery. Britain managed to deliver 185 tanks to Tehran before history got in the way. Then came 1979, the Shah’s exile and the creation of the modern Islamic Republic of Iran. Relations between London and Tehran went south quickly, with Britain suspending all diplomatic relations. The Islamic Republic of Iran was no longer an ally of the United Kingdom, and it was no longer reasonable to send state-of-the art tanks there. And therefore, British habit of piracy  revealed itself once again.

In September 2020, the British Defense Secretary, Ben Wallace, for the first time acknowledged that he is actively seeking to pay a debt to the Iranian government. The UK is thought to owe as much as £450m to the Iranian government arising from the non-delivery of Chieftain tanks ordered by the Shah of Iran before his overthrow in 1979.

An international arbitration in 2008 ruled the UK owed the debt, but in subsequent protracted court battles, lawyers acting for International Military Services, the Ministry of Defense’s now-defunct arms sales agency, have questioned not only the debt’s size, but at times whether any debt was payable.

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in meeting with the new British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss once again urged that the UK take action towards repaying its debt towards Iran.

Rebuilding of the bilateral ties took serious action, Amir-Abdollahian asserted, urging London to note that taking such action on its obligations constituted the only means of reconstructing the relations.

Tehran responds proportionately to any positive and constructive step, he, meanwhile, pledged. The British official, for her part, alleged that the UK was prepared to repay the debt.

But it is not the first time that the British statesmen announce readiness for repaying the debt but each time they have refrained from paying due different baseless pretexts like the U.S sanctions.

The British should stop their habit of piracy and respect the international norms and laws and they should not forget this fact that the end of the hit-and-run is over and the Islamic Republic of Iran is not like the Shah’s era and it will fight for any bit of its rights. They should now this fact that Iranians historically  have no positive approach or trust to the British and they used  to blame the British for any incident in the country.

So if the British want to win Iranian’s trust, they should first repay their debts and stop following the U.S.’s wrong policy of sanctions because it is useless and the West and especially the U.S. and UK will see its backlash in the future as the Islamic Republic is determined to stand against any hegemonic and hit-and-run policy.

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President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday said that Iran has the upper hand in negotiations.

“Our negotiations now are different from the ones in 2013. Now, Iran has the upper hand in negotiations,” said Rouhani, adding, “We are not talking about the JCPOA right now. The talks about the JCPOA is over and now we are talking about how to allow the United States to return to the deal,” he said, adding, “We are now reviving the JCPOA.”

“We agreed with the P5+1 on important and fundamental issues,” Rouhani said.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken also denied Iranian President Rouhani’s statement that there is already an agreement in principle, saying “that would be news to us…. It remains an unanswered question whether Iran is actually prepared to do what it needs to do to come back into compliance. The jury is still out on that.”

In a contradictory remarks, Iran’s chief negotiator at the Vienna talks says a number of hot-button issues remain to be resolved during discussions by the negotiating teams.

“The issues which have remained to be finalized and decided on are important issues,” said Abbas Araqchi.

“Of course, the number of these issues has decreased,” he underlined.

He said good headway has been made with drawing up the text of an agreement.

“However, the remaining issues are key ones which should be decided on,” Araqchi explained.

“Many of the delegations hope this will be the last round of talks and we will be able to reach a conclusion,” he added.

“We can be hopeful that this will happen, but we should be a little cautious, too,” Araqchi added.

He said Iran is seeking an agreement that would address its demands.

Meanwhile U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said her country will be careful in how it decides to lift sanctions from Iran if current talks in Austria on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, better known as JCPOA, bear fruit.

Yellen made the remarks on Thursday while answering questions about Iran and its support for Palestinian groups in the Committee on Oversight and Reform in the United States House of Representatives, according to a report by the IRNA news agency and other international outlets.

The remarks showed that the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden would have second thoughts about lifting sanctions imposed on Iran by his predecessor Donald Trump more than three years ago when he decided to abandon the JCPOA.

Talks involving Iran and six other parties to the JCPOA have continued in Vienna in an effort to bring Tehran and Washington back to compliance with the deal.

However, Yellen said the U.S. will decide what sanctions it will deem appropriate to lift if Iran resumes compliance with the nuclear deal.

“So we will carefully review what sanctions relief would be appropriate if Iran takes the appropriate steps,” she said.

Yellen had made the remarks while clarifying U.S. position on Iran’s support for Palestinians resisting Israeli occupation nearly a week after a war between Israel and the Gaza-based resistance group Hamas ended in a ceasefire.

It seems the war of attrition and exchange of refusing claims will continue and Iran should take its firm stand against this behavior of the West and especially the U.S.

Iranian negotiating team should not retreat any inch from the red lines set by the Supreme Leader and it should not fall in trap of void pledges of the West like the 2015 talks and signing the deal which was one-sidedly violated by the U.S.

Although it seemed the West is trying to prolong the talks in favor of a moderate and reformist government to come into power in the June presidential election, the recent developments in Iran and announcement of the final hopefuls for the election may accelerate the talks because there is no chance for a reformist government to take power and the Westerns have to come to terms with a principality and revolutionary government which will not bow down to the West’s pressure.

The negotiating team should wrap up very fast the talks to take the country out of this current indecisiveness, as the economy and trade is in a stand-by condition tied to the JCPOA talks’ outcome. The sooner, the better will be for the future of the country.

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