National interests ‘our red line’ in JCPOA revival talks: Amir-Abdollahian

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says Iran would only accept a ‘sustainable agreement’ that would secure its red lines in the course of talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, which was unilaterally abandoned by the United States three years after its conclusion.

“We do not seek an agreement that is not sustainable and fails to benefit Iranians. Our red lines are definitely nothing but guaranteeing the interests of the Iranian nation,” Amir-Abdollahian said in a Monday meeting in Belgrade with Iranian nationals residing in Serbia.

He also said despite the West’s unfair sanctions, Iran is in a good condition regarding its oil and non-oil exports.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Amir-Abdollahian said his two-day visit to Serbia aimed to accelerate the improvement of mutual relations. He expressed hope that a new chapter would open in bilateral ties after a scheduled visit by the Serbian president to Tehran.

Iran’s “balanced” foreign policy is based on shifting toward neighboring and Asian countries, the foreign minister said, emphasizing that Tehran is present wherever its national interests are preserved.

“We are present in the West and East proportionate to our interests,” the top Iranian diplomat said.

Pointing to the unrest in Iran, which was sparked by the death of a young Iranian woman in police custody over two months ago, Amir-Abdollahian raised serious doubts about claims by the United States and the West to care about her death.

He said a Western national was arrested in Iran who claimed that he had been tasked by his country’s intelligence services to spread chaos across Iran to force Tehran to accept the West’s conditions in the negotiations to revive the JCPOA.

“Peaceful demands must be met within the framework of Iran’s duties and the Constitution,” the top Iranian diplomat emphasized.

He also said 67 Iranian police forces have been martyred and thousands of others injured by American and Israeli weapons since the outbreak of the riots because the police were not allowed to use lethal weapons.

According to Amir-Abdollahian, the US and some of its Western allies have divided terrorism and riots into good and bad. “If [riots] occur with firearms in Iran, they are good,” he said, sarcastically.

Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic has strongly censured several countries for provoking the riots through their spy agencies and propaganda apparatus. London, in particular, hosts several anti-Iran networks, including Iran International, Manoto, and BBC Persian.

MG