Iranian President Hasan Rouhani likened US sanctions to coronavirus on Sunday, saying sanctions by Washington make panic more than reality.
Speaking with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria Alexander Schallenberg, Rouhani said the European Union “is expected to stand up to US’ illegal actions.”
He described Tehran-Vienna relations as very good and friendly.
“The two countries have good potentials, especially in economic fields, for cooperation and we hope that Austria disregards the Americans’ illegal pressures in developing its cooperation with Iran.”
“We believe that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) can still be saved,” Rouhani said, as quoted by Mehr news agency.
He stressed, meanwhile, that the nuclear deal does not just belong to Iran, Europe or the P5+1, but it can contribute to regional and global peace and security.
The Iranian president said that the nuclear deal could have been a good basis for building new trust between us and the West, including the European Union and the United States, emphasizing that the Islamic Republic has been committed to the deal for its own part.
Rouhani noted that the regional security should be protected by the countries of the region.
“Today, the security of regional waterways has decreased compared to the past and many countries of our region such as Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan are not in good security conditions,” he said, adding that Tehran has proposed Hormuz Peace Endeavour (HOPE) initiative with the aim of establishing peace and security in the region.
Schallenberg, for his part, delivered the greetings of his country’s President and Chancellor to the Iranian President and described the two countries’ relations friendly and long-standing.
“We believe that the region has an important role to play in maintaining peace and stability in the region and that Iran also plays an important role in establishing stability and security in the region.”
Source: Iranian media
