TEHRAN - Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani has briefed Iranian lawmakers on a range of issues pertaining to Iran’s foreign policy. 

On Sunday afternoon, he attended the Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee where he outlined the Islamic Republic's regional and international policies and answered questions from MPs, according to the foreign ministry. 

Bagheri Kani pointed to the regional and international developments and described “seizing opportunities" as a signature characteristic of Iran's diplomacy. He said in Tehran's neighborhood policy, ties with neighbors have no limits and all potentials must be tapped so that "maximum interaction with neighbors" will pave the ground for "lasting and long-term economic bonds between regional countries."

Bagheri referred to the exposure of the fundamental weaknesses of unilateralism and grave political and economic challenges faced by the U.S. as Washington struggles to retain its global hegemony. He said Iran's accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Council and possibly BRICS will significantly promote the strategic power and the geostrategic standing of multilateralism.

The deputy foreign minister further spoke about the U.S. president's failure to achieve the goals of his regional tour, stressing that arranging the Astana summit in Tehran a few days after Biden's failed trip to West Asia was a sign of Iran's diplomatic prudence and the symbol of the superiority of the Islamic Republic's discourse of regional interaction.

Bagheri described the issue of putting in place long-term plans for regional and global powers as important. He then underlined that the model of long-term plans in bilateral relations that, in addition to China, recently included Russia, Venezuela and Turkey, has helped stabilize economic ties and has effectively prevented international political and economic shocks from having a negative impact on Iran's economic situation and it neuters economic and trade sanctions.

After the meeting, Abolfazl Amouei, the spokesman for the parliamentary committee, offered more details of the meeting. He said that the lawmakers in the committee's meeting with Bagheri Kani stressed the need for obtaining sufficient guarantees from the U.S. in the event of a return to the nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Amouei said that Bagheri Kani presented a report on the latest political and international developments and the activities of the foreign policy apparatus, Al Alam reported. 

He added, “The deputy foreign minister explained in detail the dimensions of the crisis in Ukraine and its repercussions on international and regional developments. The subject of Joe Biden's trip to the region and the possible scenarios for this trip and the failure of the U.S. president to achieve the goals he sought from it were also explained.”

He noted, “The measures taken in the country's foreign policy apparatus during the last year to follow up on Iran's membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS+ group were also explained.”

Referring to Bagheri Kani's emphasis on the stability of Iran's relations with various countries, Amouei said, “Stabilizing Iran's position in international corridors and strengthening energy exchanges in the region are among the issues targeted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which were mentioned by the deputy foreign minister.”

Amoui said, “In another part of the meeting, Bagheri explained the process of nuclear negotiations, and that the relationship between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the 4+1 group of countries continues through Borrell and Mora, the foreign policy coordinators of the European Union, and that the issues are under discussion.”

He added, “In this meeting, the representatives emphasized obtaining sufficient guarantees from the American side in the event of a return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.”

The committee spokesman referred to the resolution and settlement of the guarantees issue that were emphasized in the meeting. He said, “The Iranian chief negotiator and the deputies present at the meeting stressed the pursuit of achieving the goal of economic benefit for the Iranian people from the potential agreement.”

The latest round of nuclear talks was held in Doha, Qatar, without any concrete results. Iran said the reason is the U.S. abstention from making the necessary political decisions required to conclude the talks. On the other hand, the U.S. levelled a similar accusation against Iran.