Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called on the neighboring countries to the Islamic Republic to hold talks about regional developments without foreign interference.
In a post on his Twitter account on Tuesday, Zarif invited the neighboring states to exclude the United States and the three European signatories to the nuclear deal of 2015 – Britain, France and Germany – from regional talks as the very same countries are the cause of the problems.
“There won’t be ANY talks about OUR region with them [US/E3] as they’re the problem themselves,” he said.
Zarif also emphasized that countries in the region “can speak directly without outside meddling.”
He once again stressed the importance of implementing Tehran’s peace initiative to promote security in the Gulf, the Hormuz Peace Endeavor [HOPE], which he said “is still on the table.”
Zarif’s remarks came shortly after he said in an Arabic tweet that Iran would not engage in talks with the Western countries on the region due to their interventionist approach.
He said it seems that some of Iran’s neighbors have asked the West that they also be part of any negotiations with Tehran. “We will not negotiate with the West over the region. The main problem is their intervention.”
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has said the Gulf countries must be “consulted” before the United States revives a nuclear deal with Iran.
The nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA], was signed between Iran and six world states — namely the US, Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China — and was ratified in the form of UN Security Council Resolution 2231.
However, Washington under President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled out in May 2018 and reinstated the anti-Iran sanctions that had been lifted under the deal.
Source: Agenceis
