Tehran, SAEDNEWS: Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in a Monday phone call with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in which the two top diplomats discussed a host of regional and international issues, including the Ukrainian crisis and the ongoing talks on the removal of anti-Iran sanctions in the Austrian capital.
Stressing the need to effectively remove all sanctions, Amir-Abdollahian said achievement of an agreement in Vienna can provide a good ground for Iran’s diversified cooperation with other countries, including its close allies.
“We are opposed to both war and imposition of sanctions,” Iran’s top diplomat said, adding, “It goes without saying that sanctions should not affect Iran’s cooperation with any country, including Russia.”
Pointing to the ongoing talks between Iran and the P4+1 group of countries in Vienna aimed at securing the revival of the landmark 2015 Iran deal, Amir-Abdollahian said, "We are making serious efforts to reach a good and strong agreement in Vienna."
"Good progress has been made [in the Vienna talks] so far, but despite such progress, some issues have not yet been resolved in Vienna, which require a political decision by the West," Iran's top diplomat said.
Lavrov, for his part, stressed the importance of improving bilateral cooperation in different areas, particularly in trade and economic sectors.
The Russian foreign minister also slammed the sanctions imposed on his country.
The US unilaterally left the 2015 Iran deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018, and restored the sanctions that had been lifted under the accord. Washington’s European allies in the deal—France, Germany, and the United Kingdom—have been toeing the sanctions line closely by ending their trade activities with Iran.
The Vienna talks began last April between Iran and the remaining parties to the JCPOA -- Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China -- on the assumption that the US, under the Joe Biden administration, is willing to repeal the so-called maximum pressure policy pursued by former president, Donald Trump, against Tehran.
Iran says it won’t settle for anything less than the removal of all US sanctions in a verifiable manner. It also wants guarantees that Washington would not abandon the agreement again.
In a Monday meeting with a number of Iranian parliamentarians, the Iranian foreign minister said the Islamic Republic will not allow any foreign factor to have an impact on the ongoing Vienna negotiations.
“While standing fast on our red lines, we will not allow any foreign factor affect [realization] of the country’s national interests in the Vienna talks for the removal of sanctions,” he said.
"Iran supports political solution to Ukraine crisis, end to war"
In another phone call on Monday, Iran’s top diplomat talked to his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, discussing with him various regional and international issues of mutual interest to both countries, including the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
“We support a political solution in Ukraine and any political initiative to end war ... and are ready for any assistance to help advance this process,” Iran’s foreign minister said.
He hoped the upcoming Antalya Diplomacy Forum and also a trilateral meeting of the Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers would be held successfully and noted that an Iranian delegation would take part in the Antalya forum, which is scheduled to be convened on March 11-19.
Heads of state and government, ministers, policy makers, diplomats, business leaders, academics, think-tankers and representatives of the youth and media will meet at the second Antalya Diplomacy Forum to be held under the auspices of the Turkish foreign minister.
The participants will address a wide range of topics in international relations under the overarching theme of “Recoding Diplomacy.”
In the phone call with the Iranian foreign minister, Cavusoglu told his counterpart that Turkey opposes imposition of sanctions against countries.
“Sanctions are not a solution to any problem,” he noted.
The top Turkish diplomat expressed concern over the escalating crisis in Ukraine, a possible humanitarian catastrophe and an increase in the influx of migrants and refugees.
He noted that the trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia and Ukraine aims to establish ceasefire and lasting peace in the war-hit area, and underlined the need for efforts to improve the situation there.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" aimed at “demilitarization” of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics in eastern Ukraine, collectively known as the Donbass.
The regions broke away from Ukraine in 2014 after refusing to recognize a Western-backed Ukrainian government that had overthrown a democratically-elected Russia-friendly administration.
The conflict has provoked a unanimous response from the US and allies, resulting in a long list of sanctions on Moscow (Source: PRESSTV).
Iran FM: US has yet to offer 'serious initiative' amid Vienna talks
