Spokesman dismisses talks with EU over Iran's regional influence

Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi categorically dismissed reports that Tehran and several European states have begun negotiations over the Islamic Republic's role in the Middle East.

"Despite the fact that Iran and the European Union (EU) have been negotiating about various regional subjects for decades, no discussions have been held over Tehran’s regional influence," Qassemi said on Sunday.

The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman made the remarks after several Western diplomats claimed that Europe and Iran have commenced talks on Tehran’s role in the Middle East.

"Without any doubt this topic is not a new or odd one, but we reject such claims concerning an agreement for talks based on a definite framework," he added.

The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman went on to say that Tehran and several EU nations did hold talks on the sidelines of the recent Munich conference about the situation in Yemen; however, he stressed that the talks were focused on the subject of aid delivery and ending Saudi Arabia's war on its impoverished neighbor.

Saudi Arabia has been incessantly pounding Yemen since March 2015 in an attempt to crush the popular Ansarullah movement and the revolutionaries and reinstate former fugitive president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who is a staunch ally of the Riyadh regime.

At least 15,700 people have been martyred since the onset of Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against Yemen. Much of the Arabian Peninsula country's infrastructure, including hospitals, schools and factories, has been reduced to rubble due to the Saudi war.

The United Nations says a record 22.2 million people are in need of food aid, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger.

EA