TEHRAN— Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian on Wednesday hosted his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

The two chief diplomats held a fairly lengthy meeting focused on bilateral, regional and international developments.  

Later, the two foreign ministers participated in a joint press conference. 

Amir Abdollahian began his statement by welcoming the Qatari fore3ign minister. He then pointed out that Iranian businesspeople will no longer have problems regarding long-term residence in Doha. 

“We had positive discussions regarding the need to strengthen regional mechanisms and intra-regional cooperation. Qatar has always played a positive role in the field of regional dialogue and cooperation and has taken effective steps in strengthening regional dialogues. This path will continue to be followed by friends and brothers in Qatar and other countries in the region,” the foreign minister stated. 

‘Tehran firm to reach a good, strong and stable agreement’ 

Regarding the negotiations to revive the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Amir Abdollahian reiterated that Tehran is determined to reach “a good, strong and stable agreement.” 

“Contrary to the U.S. and Western media allegations, we do not have any extravagant demands. Our demands are completely within the framework of the 2015 (nuclear) agreement. If in some area the American side feels that it is a non-JCPOA issue, they should come and tell us. We have emphasized to the American side during the talks that the negotiations are based on what happened in the Vienna talks in the past months.”

According to the foreign minister, the Western parties have repeatedly announced that they will eliminate everything that hinders Iran's economic benefit from the JCPOA. 

Amir Abdollahian continued by noting that in the recent talks in Doha, one of the main issues Tehran focused on was the issue of effective guarantees from the U.S. that may affect Iran's full economic benefit from the JCPOA. 

The talks in Doha were held on January 28-29. The talks were mediated by European Union coordinator Enrique Mora. 

“Therefore, our demand is not excessive, but in the way of obtaining guarantees, the United States must commit that the Islamic Republic of Iran will enjoy the full benefits of the 2015 agreement,” the foreign minister explained. 

Amir Abdollahian noted that this is something that Washington has not been able to assure Tehran about its realization. 

“I emphasize once again that we have goodwill, we seek logical negotiations and we are serious in this regard,” Iran’s top diplomat reiterated. 

Qatar FM thanks Iran for trusting Doha

For his part, the Qatari top diplomat said, “It is important that all parties and partners in neighboring countries make constructive efforts for the success of the nuclear talks and for launching regional dialogues.”

Al Thani also thanked Iran for its trust in Qatar.

He continued, “We always try to support these talks in order to reach an agreement that will eliminate the concerns of all parties and provide the ground for all parties to return to their commitments.”

Qatar’s foreign minister also stressed his support for regional dialogue. 

“The dialogues held between Iran and the Persian Gulf countries in this framework can have positive results for us. The flourishing relations between the countries of the region can benefit the people of our nations,” he concluded. 

Al Thani meets Iran’s top security chief

Later in the day, Qatar’s foreign minister met Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Admiral Ali Shamkhani.

In the meeting, Shamkhani elaborated on Iran’s foreign policy and the pivotal role of neighbors in Tehran’s foreign relations, saying, “Iran's principled policy towards its neighbors is the development of comprehensive and strategic relations, along with good neighborliness.”

The security chief also described terrorism and Zionism as two main sources of insecurity in the region and said any coalition, even non-security and non-military alliance with the Israeli regime will threaten the stability and security of the region.

Stating that Iran's behavior in the region has shown that the Tehran has always been interested in collective security and maintaining the territorial integrity of countries as an unwavering strategy, Shamkhani noted, “Condemning the occupation of Kuwait by Saddam and supporting Qatar in confronting extravagance and coercion of some countries in the region are clear examples of such a strategy.”

“The oppressive sanctions against Iran should be removed in a way that all countries can easily invest in Iran while maintaining their long-term interests.”

The SNSC chief also mentioned Iran's stance in the JCPOA revival negotiations as an approach that could result in reaching a “strong, stable and reliable agreement”.

He added, “The oppressive sanctions against Iran should be removed in a way that all countries can easily invest in Iran while maintaining their long-term interests.”

He went on to say that Iran started a new round of negotiations in Vienna with the aim of reaching an agreement, and will adhere to diplomacy until the realization of its legal rights, as it did in the past.

Shamkhani also wished success for Qatar that is going to host the 2022 World Cup tournament and once again announced the readiness of Iran for comprehensive cooperation in this regard.

For his part, Al Thani emphasized the necessity of continuing regional dialogues to remove some artificial barriers and accelerate bilateral and multilateral relations between countries.

Pointing to Doha’s strong support for the negotiations to lift sanctions on Iran, Qatar’s top diplomat suggested, “All parties should return to an agreement as soon as possible by accepting the commitments mentioned in the JCPOA.”

Qatar's foreign minister stated that the main need of the region is durable stability and all-round cooperation for the well-being and comfort of nations. “Reaching an agreement in the nuclear negotiations will definitely contribute to stability in the region.”

The first round of indirect talks between Iran and the United States in Doha was held on June 28-29. It was mediated by Enrique Mora, the European Union coordinator.

During a phone call on June 29 with Amir Abdollahian, Al Thani hailed the first round of talks as “constructive and forward-looking,” according to the Iranian foreign ministry readout of the phone call.

During the same conversation, Amir Abdollahian assessed the Doha talks as “positive”.

“I stress that we are ready to reach a good, robust and lasting deal, and if the U.S. acts realistically, an agreement is at hand,” the chief diplomat reiterated.