TEHRAN — During a joint press conference with the Foreign Minister of Oman on Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said that Iran “will not cross its red lines” under no circumstances.

Regarding the recent developments in the Vienna talks, Iran’s top diplomat said that the negotiations have reached a critical stage.

Few but very important issues remain in Vienna, he added.

Amir Abdollahian said, “I in Munich and my colleague Mr. Bagheri in Vienna, in our meetings with the West(ern officials), explicitly emphasized that we will not cross our red lines in the Vienna talks.”

He stressed that under no circumstances will the negotiators cross the Iran’s red lines.

The Foreign Minister stated, “At the same time, we consider the necessity of any negotiation to be useful and that there should be conceivable benefits for the great nation of Iran in the negotiations.”

“We still have direct talks between the top Iranian negotiator and the P4+1 representatives in Vienna, and exchanges between the U.S. representative and the Iranian delegation is done through Enrique Mora, the European Union coordinator,” the top diplomat noted.

He added that Iran has received a lot of messages from the U.S. officials about the need for direct negotiations. 

“What matters to us is what will be the benefit of this direct talks and whether the future is different from what has happened in the current negotiations and whether there is any achievement beyond what is agreed in Vienna or not,” Amir Abdollahian noted.

According to the foreign minister, Iran has received “mostly positive” messages from the United States, but so far the United States has not taken any practical steps to prove its goodwill.

“We hope that the few sensitive and important issues remaining in the talks will be resolved in the coming days with the realism of the West. Let us believe that the results of the efforts made in the past 9 months be that all parties will adhere to their full obligations under the 2015 nuclear agreement,” he added.

Iran-Oman relations can be at highest level possible

Elsewhere in the presser, the foreign minister noted that in his talks with Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman, both sides agreed that the political relations between the two countries be at their highest level.

“Today, we can say that the political relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Kingdom of Oman are privileged, exemplary and strategic among the countries of the Persian Gulf.”

The foreign minister went on to note that both countries have made great strides in economic and trade cooperation in recent months.

“However, given the capacity of the two countries, we will never consider this volume of trade to be sufficient and we agree that more efforts will be made to further develop relations,” he said.

Amir Abdollahian expressed hope that in the not-too-distant future, the Iranian president and the Sultan of Oman would meet.

He announced that the Sultan of Oman has sent an official invitation to the Iranian president to visit his country.

“We hope to have this trip in this important area of our neighborhood as soon as possible, and of course during this trip, a new turning point for relations can be created between the two countries,” the chief diplomat remarked.

The foreign minister went on to say that in line with the policy of favoring ties with neighbors, President Ebrahim Raisi held very important meetings in Doha, Qatar, on Monday and Tuesday and signed 14 agreements with the Emir of Qatar in various fields.

He added, “We believe that more stability and security can be achieved through comprehensive cooperation.”

We received a message from Saudis in Munich

Later in the press conference, Amir Abdollahian touched on the issue of Tehran-Riyadh negotiations. 

“Regarding the relations between Tehran and Riyadh, four rounds of talks have been held so far with the help and assistance of the relevant officials of the Republic of Iraq,” he said, adding that Iran has received a message from the Saudis through the Iraqi foreign minister in Munich.

“We received a message stating that the Saudi side is ready to continue these talks. In response, we spoke of our readiness to talk and achieve forward-looking results in relations between the two countries,” the senior diplomat remarked. 

Stating that Iran is ready to continue the policy of consultations and joint talks with all parties on regional issues, Amir Abdollahian clarified that Iran believes that resolving various crises in the region is only through dialogue and consultation, as well as cooperation. 

He added, “Competitions based on distrust will only result in the destruction of the region and the disappearance of the great wealth of the region.”

Expressing hope that all parties understand that they cannot gain their security at the cost of the insecurity of others in the region, Amir Abdollahian said, “On this basis, we reaffirm our readiness for any regional initiative that will contribute to the development of sustainable security and the economic and humanitarian growth of the region.” 

Yemen situation has turned into humanitarian catastrophe

The foreign minister also touched on the tragic events happening in Yemen, saying the situation in the country has become “a great humanitarian catastrophe.”

He added, “The fact that the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran, martyr (Hassan) Irloo, could not benefit the least medical facilities due to the harsh conditions of the siege on Yemen. He was martyred because of the coronavirus and lack of medical facilities in this country. This shows the height of humanitarian disaster in Yemen.”

He added that even high-ranking officials and diplomats, along with the Yemeni people, are suffering from this humanitarian catastrophe.
“We hope that all parties will return to a political solution as soon as possible,” he said.

Amir Abdollahian said Iran is actively using its capacities to achieve peace and security in the region, adding Iran will make optimal use of its capacity and relations with all parties in the region to help end the war in Yemen and start Yemeni-Yemeni talks.

We are in contact with all Afghan parties

Regarding Afghanistan, Amir Abdollahian said, “We hope to follow the efforts that the Islamic Republic of Iran started months ago as soon as possible. While we are in constant contact with all Afghan parties, leaders and ethnic groups, we hope that an inclusive government will be formed as soon as possible with the participation of all ethnic groups in Afghanistan.”

Iran hosted a conference of the foreign ministers of countries neighboring Afghanistan in October 2021.

We are unhappy with the Ukraine crisis

He then touched on the Ukraine-Russia conflict, saying that Iran is “not happy with what happened in Ukraine.” 

“Unfortunately, the provocative behavior of NATO and the United States has made the situation in this northern region and around Iran worrying,” he added. 

Amir Abdollahian urged all parties to end this crisis “peacefully.”

He added, “Last week, in a telephone conversation with the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine, I stated the transparent position of the Islamic Republic of Iran. NATO and U.S. intervention would not help this issue, as it was a provocative action. The solution to this problem is not war, but dialogue and adoption of peaceful solutions.”