TEHRAN - Western countries bet on a losing horse when they put all their weight behind the recent riots in Iran, but now they have acknowledged their miscalculation about the unrest, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

“The governments that bet on Iran’s internal developments bet on a losing horse. We had warned them not to sacrifice their interests to no avail,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani told a regular news briefing. 

Even though Western governments claim that they were not pursuing regime change in Iran, Tehran will never forget their roles in the protests, Kanaani added.

He also pointed to the issue of foreign nationals detained over their involvement in the protests, saying Tehran has already notified their countries, and some were even allowed to contact their families, in a humanitarian gesture, on Christmas.

Protests broke out after the death of 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini in Tehran. Amini, from the Kurdish city of Saqez, died on September 16 in the hospital three days after she fainted at a police station. A medical examination revealed that she had died because of a chronic illness, dismissing rumors that she had suffered a blow to her head or other vital bodily organs.

She had been arrested by morality police to be trained on Islamic dress code. 

However, rioters and opportunists used the death as a pretext to commit acts of violence, engaged in deadly attacks on security officers.

 ‘Accusations against Iran won’t help Ukrainians’

Kanaani once again dismissed the unfounded allegations that Tehran had provided Russia with a fleet of drones to be used in the Ukraine war, saying that Iranian officials and the country’s Foreign Ministry have repeatedly rejected the claims.

“Such accusations are of no help to the Ukrainian nation and authorities,” Press TV quoted him as saying.

“We reiterate once again our disengagement with the war in Ukraine and voice our preparedness to resolve the crisis and restore peace there. We also view as irresponsible any threats by Ukrainian authorities, and hold the Ukrainian government accountable for their potential political and legal repercussions,” Kanaani stated.

The anti-Iran claims first emerged in July, with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan alleging that Washington had received “information” indicating that the Islamic Republic was preparing to provide Russia with “up to several hundred drones, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline” for use in the war.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian in November dismissed media controversy over Iran’s alleged support for Russia in the Ukraine war. However, he added, Tehran had provided Moscow with a limited number of drones months before the war in Ukraine.

He also assured that Iran will not be indifferent if it is proven that Russia has used Iranian drones in the conflict.

 “Window of diplomacy is open to revive JCPOA”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the spokesman said the Islamic Republic has always kept the window of diplomacy open for the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the official name for the 2015 nuclear deal.

Resurrecting the nuclear deal is still within reach if the Western side demonstrates genuine willingness.

He described the December 20 meeting between the Iranian foreign minister and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in Jordan as an important event and a good opportunity for both sides.

“The [ultimate] agreement is still viable, and the window of diplomacy is open on the part of Iran. The U.S. administration pursues a policy of confusion and confrontation and maintains negative and hostile stances. We believe that the agreement is within reach and remains on the negotiating table provided that Westerners demonstrate the needed determination” to strike the final deal, the spokesman said.

He underscored that the European sides to the JCPOA – Britain, France and Germany – must take practical steps if they are looking for an ultimate agreement in the talks to restore the nuclear deal.

However, the Foreign Ministry official said Iran’s foreign policy is not tied to the JCPOA and the Vienna talks and that the Islamic Republic follows a policy of cooperation with neighbors.

The talks to revive the JCPOA kicked off in the Austrian capital of Vienna in April 2021 with the intention of examining Washington’s seriousness in rejoining the deal and lifting anti-Iran sanctions.

The negotiations have been at a standstill since August due to Washington’s insistence on its hard-nosed position of not lifting all the sanctions that were slapped on the Islamic Republic by the Trump administration. Iran also insists that it is necessary for the other side to give guarantees that it will remain committed to any agreement that is reached.

 ‘Iran, S. Arabia apparently see eye to eye about positive course of talks’ 

The Foreign Ministry spokesman also said in the Monday press conference that representatives from the Islamic Republic would most likely launch a new round of talks with their Saudi counterparts in the Iraqi capital Baghdad intended to mend the strained ties between the two nations.

“Our stance regarding Saudi Arabia and the process of negotiations between the two countries is quite clear. Fortunately, it seems that the two sides see eye to eye about the constructive and positive course of talks,” Kanaani said, according to Press TV.

Iran and Saudi Arabia have so far held five rounds of talks mediated by Iraq.

“Given the status quo, it is likely to hold a new round of talks in Baghdad. Our Iraqi friends put in good efforts as to hosting previous talks between the two countries, and fortunately they continue their endeavors. The Iraqi side is trusted by both sides, and its efforts to create suitable conditions for holding a new round of dialogue are welcomed,” he noted.

Kanaani also hailed the meeting between Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud on the sidelines of the December 20 meeting in Jordan as positive. 
The meeting showed a gesture of goodwill and a readiness by the sides to continue the tension-easing talks, he added.

“We view the latest comments by the Saudi foreign minister concerning readiness for talks with Iran as positive and welcome them. Apparently, both sides are willing to take new steps to move forward. Based on Iran’s declared and practical policy, negotiations can continue till resumption of official diplomatic ties between the two important regional countries and we welcome this trend,” the diplomat said.

Kanaani's remarks came after al-Araby al-Jadeed news website, citing two senior Iraqi officials, reported that Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani has assigned his Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein and a team from his office to resume mediation efforts between Tehran and Riyadh .

The Iraqi officials have been instructed to open up channels of communication between Iran and Saudi Arabia to secure a new meeting between their representatives. 

“Sudani hopes to achieve his first foreign achievement at this level,” one of the officials pointed out. 

He also confirmed that the Iraqi prime minister “has been briefed on the details and progress of the previous rounds of talks, and informed of the points of contention as well as common grounds that have been achieved.”

Writing on his Twitter account in Arabic on December 21 - one day after the Jordan conference - the Iranian foreign minister said Riyadh is ready to start talks on reestablishing diplomatic ties with Tehran.
He said that he had the chance to speak amicably with some counterparts - including the foreign ministers of Oman, Qatar, Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia - in Jordan. 

He added that the Saudi counterpart had informed him that his nation is prepared to continue negotiations with Iran.

Back in July, Amir Abdollahian also lauded the “constructive” role played by Iraq in advancing the regional dialogue, saying that there has been “progress” in the last five rounds of talks with Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister also said his country intends to establish a close and friendly relationship with Iran.

“We certainly have the intent to build a positive relationship with our neighbors in Iran,” he told English-language France 24 television news network in an interview on the sidelines of the 77th UN General Assembly in New York.

He, however, added that there were still differences with Tehran that currently prevented his meeting with Amir Abdollahian.

Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016 after Iranian protesters, enraged by the execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr by the Saudi government, stormed its embassy in Tehran.

The kingdom then pursued a confrontational foreign policy toward the Islamic Republic, especially during the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump, with whom the Saudi rulers had close ties.

Saudi Arabia appears to have recently changed its antagonistic course, showing willingness through diplomatic channels and third parties to mend fences with Tehran and resume bilateral relations.
The two neighbors remain deeply divided over a set of regional issues, mainly the destructive and protracted Saudi war on Yemen.