TEHRAN — Speaking at his weekly press briefing on Monday morning, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh reiterated that the Islamic Republic will not tolerate the presence of Israeli forces near its borders.

Khatibzadeh also criticized the Republic of Azerbaijan for not notifying Iran prior to holding military drills.

Khatibzadeh added that it is a natural thing that military exercises are being held in the region and in different countries, but he criticized Azerbaijan’s behavior, saying that accurate information should be provided in this regard, just as Iran provides accurate information. 

“If countries can do this and inform us with this attitude, it is a sign of their maturity,” he added. 

“We are not joking with anyone in regard to presence of Israel in South Caucasus.”

e added that more attention must be paid by the countries in the South Caucasus region regarding the insecurities created by the illegitimate presence of the Zionist regime.

“The roots and essence of this regime grow in blood, violence and terror, and it can grow from such space. It does not go anywhere except in that you see assassinations, bombings, coups and conspiracies,” he elaborated. 

The diplomat noted that from the southern region of the Persian Gulf to countries in northern Iran and the Levant, including Syria, wherever the occupying regime of Israel has been present, one can spot insecurities.

He elaborated, “We have told our neighbors in a friendly way and through various channels that the Islamic Republic of Iran does not tolerate the illegitimate presence of the Zionist regime near its borders and we are not joking with anyone in this regard.”

"No pre-conditions set for U.S.” 

Regarding the JCPOA, the spokesman said that Iran has not set any form of pre-conditions to return to the JCPOA revival negotiations. 

“We do not receive messages in the media space and we never send messages to anyone this way,” he added. 

The spokesman underlined that as the United States is no longer a party to the JCPOA, Iran has not set any pre-conditions for the U.S. to return to the Vienna talks. 

Khatibzadeh then said that what Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian pointed out was the expression of a logic in which the United States had to show, if it was really in line to reconsider its previous policies. 

Abdollahian said a few years ago that if the U.S. is sincere for revival of the JCPOA it should release at least 10 billion dollars of the Iranian assets frozen abroad.

“The Biden administration has not made any changes to any of the dimensions of Trump's policies toward Iran, especially maximum pressure,” Khatibzadeh said, criticizing U.S. excuses regarding the Vienna talks. 

He added that what is happening on the ground today is no different from before Biden came. 

“The United States could have stopped many of its atrocities against Iran long ago. In the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic, we witnessed the continuation of such atrocities,” the diplomat remarked.