Zarif:

Iran, Germany, EU See Eye to Eye on Saving N. Deal

TEHRAN (defapress)- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, during a joint press conference with his German counterpart Heiko Maas in Tehran, said that preserving the landmark nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) serves as common ground between Tehran, Berlin and the European Union (EU).

News ID: 77719

Date: 11 June 2019 - 17:07

“We had long talks today. The common target of Iran, Germany and the EU is preserving the JCPOA and preventing tensions in the region, as well as having the Iranian nation benefit from the JCPOA advantages,” Zarif said, during the Monday presser in Tehran.

“The US has declared economic war against Iran. This war is dangerous to the region, the world and international order. In our opinion, the US has targeted the Iranian nation, those who were supposed to benefit most from the JCPOA achievements,” he added.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has proved that it is committed to its international obligations and the reports of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have proved this,” he said, “However, the Islamic Republic is in charge of defending its nation’s rights as well, one of which is the right considered under the Article 36 of the JCOPA.”

“Iran’s new taken measures are in accordance with Article 36 of the nuclear deal and we are ready to continue, halt, or return them regarding the commitment level of our partners towards implementation of the JCPOA,” Zarif said.

Informing that the two sides have also openly discussed regional affairs in this meeting, the Iranian foreign minister hoped that the efforts made by Iran’s friends in Germany and 4+1 countries would bear fruit to preserve the nuclear deal.

In a tweet after his meeting with Mass, Zarif said that he had "frank talks” with his German counterpart, voicing Welcome to Germany’s recognition of the fact that practical measures to ensure Iran’s economic dividends are essential to preserve the JCPOA.

“We concurred that dialog among regional countries is crucial," Zarif wrote.

He added, "But Donald Trump's ‘economic war’ is THE cause of all tensions."

In relevant remarks last Monday, Zarif had also blasted the US for applying "economic terrorism" against his country, warning that ordinary people and patients in Iran were suffering from it.

Zarif posted a video on his official Twitter page, showing a "little boy whose heartbroken mother can't get him prosthetic legs as he grows", and emphasized that innocent civilians were being targeted by sanctions and economic terrorism applied to Iran by Washington.

"This is @realDonaldTrump's 'economic war'. And war and talks—with or without preconditions—don't go together," he underlined.

Zarif's remarks came a day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington is keen to hold negotiations with Iran "with no preconditions" amid the intensification of tensions between the two countries.

Addressing a news conference in Switzerland earlier in the day, Pompeo said, "We are prepared to engage in a conversation with no preconditions. We are ready to sit down with them."

In reaction to Pompeo's statements, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi said a game of words by the United States was not important to Iran, but the Islamic Republic expected a change in Washington’s general approach to the Iranian nation.

"For the Islamic Republic of Iran, a game of words and expressing covert goals under the guise of new words is not a criterion for action, but a change in the United States’ general approach and practical stance toward the Iranian nation is the criterion,” he said.

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