Iran Seeks Guarantees That New Sanctions Won’t Be Imposed – Amir Abdollahian

By Staff, Agencies

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said during sanctions removal talks in the Austrian capital, that Tehran seeks guarantees that no further sanctions will be imposed on the country once they are removed.

Amir Abdollahian made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera news network on Monday, during which he elaborated on the overall course of negotiations in the Austrian capital with the goal of removing illegal sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic.

“We seek removal of sanctions that were imposed on Iran by [former US President Donald] Trump, especially those sanctions that are at odds with the [2015] nuclear deal [officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA]],” Iran’s foreign minister said.

Amir Abdollahian added, “We also want guarantees that no new sanctions are imposed and that the existing sanctions would not be re-imposed once they are removed.”

The top Iranian diplomat stated that facilitating the country’s oil exports and return of their revenues to the country are among guarantees sought by Iran in Vienna talks.

“The eighth round of Vienna talks is on the right path ... [and] achieving a good agreement is possible if the Western sides show serious determination,” he added.

Amir Abdollahian noted that Iran and the United States are exchanging unofficial messages in Vienna in order to facilitate the ongoing talks, saying, “We hear good words from Americans in Vienna, but what is important is to see them taking serious steps.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Amir Abdollahian reflected on the ongoing talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia saying, “Our negotiations with Saudi Arabia are positive and constructive and we are ready to reestablish ties at any time.”

“Our representatives at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation [OIC] will return to Jeddah and this is a positive step,” he noted.

Iran and the five remaining signatories to the JCPOA — Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China — resumed talks in Vienna on Monday after the parties took a three-day break for the New Year.

The eighth round of the Vienna talks began on December 27 with a focus on the removal of all US sanctions. The US is not allowed to directly attend the talks due to its pullout in 2018 from the landmark deal with Iran.

During the previous round of the talks, the first under Iran’s new President Ebrahim Raisi, Iran presented new proposals at the negotiating table to help the talks move forward and later criticized the European signatories of the JCPOA for failing to follow suit and remaining passive.