TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister who had visited Amman, Jordan, for a conference on Iraq held two hours of talks with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in which the sides exchanged views on the most pressing issues between Iran and the EU, especially the Vienna talks intended to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, officially called the JCPOA.

The meeting was attended by Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani and Borrell’s deputy Enrique Mora.

Noting that Iran is ready to conclude the Vienna talks based on the draft text that has been prepared after months of intensive talks, Amir Abdollahian advised the other side to adopt a “constructive, realistic and necessary political decisions” for declaring agreement on restoring the JCPOA.

Amir Abdollahian also condemned the Western countries for supporting rioters in Iran and imposing sanctions on the country under the false pretext of support for human rights in Iran.

He said Iran is unwavering in upholding human rights based on the principles of by the Islamic Revolution, but said the Western countries’ claims of support for Iranians, whose rights have been violated by these countries who have aligned with Washington in illegal sanctions on the Islamic Republic, is a kind of “crocodile tear” which is “unbelievable”.

Elsewhere in his talks with Borrell, Iran’s chief diplomat reiterated Tehran’s principled position in respecting the territorial integrity of Ukraine and pushed for finding a peaceful solution to the Ukraine crisis.

The remarks by the foreign minister came as the West is claiming that Russia is using Iranian-made drones in its attacks on Ukraine.

Amir Abdollahian said his country is ready to hold direct talks with the Ukrainian side to clear up misunderstandings surrounding provision of drones to Russia.

Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian recently announced that Tehran had sold a limited number of drones to Russia before the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. He also said Iran had not given drones to Russia to be used in the Ukraine war.

Borrell also said pointed to the position of the EU toward Iran in the recent months but said the JCPOA and the nuclear negotiations are separate from other issues and insisted on the bloc’s will to bring the Vienna talks to a result.

FM says Iran sees its interests in stability and security in the entire region

Amir Abdollahian also addressed the second round of the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership in Amman, saying the holding of this meeting with the presence of regional countries shows “our support for Iraq” coupled with efforts to create the ground for cooperation and interaction between regional countries.

The participants at the conference were Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and France as well as two new guests — Bahrain and Oman. The first round of the conference was held in Baghdad in August 2021.

“I hope that we can realize a stable, developed, advanced and strong region through these meetings,” Iran’s chief diplomat told the participants.

He also suggested that dialogue and cooperation between regional countries to reach a common understanding in order to achieve “stability, peace and progress is not a choice but an essential thing.”

The foreign minister went on to say that Iran “sees its calm and stability dependent on stability and security in the entire region.”

It is for this reason that Iran’s “unwavering policy is to avoid war and help restore security and stability” in the region.  He said for achieving this purpose Iran has made great sacrifices in countering Daesh (ISIS) along with Iraq and Syria. The minister said the bravery of martyr Lt. Gen. Qassem Soleimani and his comrade in fighting Daesh will surely remain the memory of the people of the region.

Amir Abdollahian went on to say that today Iraq is an important player in the region due to the “constructive ideas” of its leaders.

“I am willing to welcome the positive regional role of Iraq in trying to establish regional peace and stability and promoting the culture of dialogue. I am also willing to announce the readiness of the Islamic Republic of Iran for deepening regional cooperation,” Amir Abdollahian told the regional summit aimed at easing tensions between neighboring countries.

He said Iran backs a united and developed Iraq and insists on the importance of support for Iraq by all regional countries, including those bordering Iraq.

“We also don’t expect any threat to neighbors from Iraq,” he said. 

The foreign minister also expressed regret that Syria had not been invited to the conference on Iraq. “I regret that Syria’s seat is hollow in this session.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the minister said Iran believes that “security cannot be imported or purchased.”

“Security is a unified and interconnected phenomenon and it is impossible to mobilize all things to destabilize a country and simultaneously stabilize another country and then insist on creating stability.”

He added the era of taking “wrong decisions” has come to an end.