TEHRAN – Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, met in New York with Stephen Hickey, a British Political Coordinator at the UN in New York.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Bagheri Kani spoke of Iran's serious determination to secure the country's national interests in negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Earlier, Iran's chief negotiator met with the European Union coordinator for the Vienna talks, Enrique Mora, and they reviewed the process of negotiations to lift sanctions, according to Al Alam.

As part of his diplomatic activities to revive the nuclear agreement, the Iranian deputy foreign minister also held talks in New York with representatives of the Netherlands and the European Union.

In the two meetings, Bagheri reaffirmed Iran's serious determination to pursue sustainable commitments and adhere to the commitments if the nuclear agreement is revived.

These meetings were held Thursday on the sidelines of the 77th Summit of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The Iranian chief negotiator also met with Qatari and Swiss officials. “Iran's clear logic is the need to provide sustainable commitments in the negotiation process and stick to commitments on the part of the Western side,” Bagheri Kani said in these meetings. 

Bagheri Kani, along with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, accompanied President Ebrahim Raisi on his trip to New York. 

In his speech at the UN General Assembly, President Raisi went over the details of the history of the nuclear deal. He said, “The Islamic Republic accepted an agreement in 2015 in good faith and with a solid intention and fulfilled all its commitments in the first place, but the result was America breaking its promise and imposing sanctions which, according to their own admission, were the most unprecedented sanctions in history. Sanctions are a punishment for seeking justice and independence of the Iranian nation. Sanction is a weapon of mass murder, and accompanying or remaining silent towards it is aiding and abetting oppression,” he said, adding, “It was America that left the agreement, not Iran. The International Atomic Energy Agency stated 15 times in its reports that Iran has fully adhered to the provisions of the agreement.”

He noted, “At the same time, Iran has paid the cost of complying with its obligations, but due to the violation of the promise of the American side and the non-compliance of the European side, Iran has not enjoyed the benefits of this agreement.”

President Raisi continued, “Based on the capacities seen in the agreement, we took legal measures so that the violating party returns to its obligations. By adhering to its obligations, Iran has been the main axis of the JCPOA's survival, and if it were not for the initiatives and flexibility of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the negotiations would have stopped in the first days. Iran's negotiation logic based on a fair analysis of developments is only one sentence: ‘adherence to commitments.’ Reassuring assurances are not just about preparing for a contingency. We are talking about an experience. We have before us the experience of America's withdrawal from the JCPOA and the delay of the current American government in returning to its commitments for more than a year and a half. Today, when the American government is talking about its intention to return to its obligations, another voice is heard from inside that country, which questions the commitment of the United States. With that experience and this perspective, can we act with tolerance in the important issue of ensuring the stability of the agreement?”

He stated, “Of course, the Islamic Republic, with its vast facilities and wide connections with the world, has neutralized the effects of sanctions one after another and created new opportunities. According to the official admission of the U.S. government, the policy of maximum pressure against Iran has failed shamefully. We will find our way regardless of any agreement and continue with strength. Besides, in the serious negotiations we have had, we have shown that if the interests of the Iranian nation are guaranteed, we have a strong will to solve this issue fairly. We believe that the knot of the nuclear agreement should be untied from the place where it was tied.”