TEHRAN - Nasser Kanaani, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, has once more denounced the recent acts of desecration against the holy Quran in Sweden and Denmark and urged the European nations to extradite those involved to Muslim nations.

During his regular weekly news briefing on Monday, Kanaani said Tehran firmly condemns the heinous crimes of Quran desecration that have happened in Europe, a continent claiming to be civilized.

The Islamic Republic of Iran once more appeals to the governments of the countries where those despicable deeds occurred to stop similar actions from happening again and deal with offenders or extradite them to Islamic states. 

“U.S. to blame for stalemate in nuclear talks”

Kanaani also touched upon the U.S. departure from the Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), pinning the blame on the U.S. for any moratorium in the talks to revitalize the agreement.

He also emphasized that a return to the nuclear agreement will be feasible if Washington has the political will, noting that Tehran believes changes in administrations should not influence U.S. obligations.   

Tehran hails peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Kanaani also said Iran encourages talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan to bring about durable peace in the Caucasus.

He continued by saying that Iran is prepared to use its influence to help the Caucasus region achieve lasting peace.

BRICS backs Iran’s membership

The foreign ministry spokesman also announced Ali-Akbar Ahmadian, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, has attended the BRICS National Security Advisors (NSA) meeting.

Regarding Iran’s potential membership in BRICS, Kanaani stated that Iran was among the first countries to apply for membership in the group, and that BRICS members support Iran’s membership.

BRICS is acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China and Russia. 

Iran will do everything to release frozen funds

The spokesman also pointed to Iran’s frozen assets in several countries, saying that Iran will do everything possible to preserve and repatriate those funds.

Kanaani stated that Iran is still negotiating with several nations, including South Korea, regarding the funds, and that authorities in Seoul have lately pledged to make measures to get them back.

Iranian authorities are hopeful that the funds would be returned, he highlighted. 

According to the spokesperson, the U.S. administration recently stated that it has allowed Iraq to return a portion of the Iranian funds, but Tehran is continuing to pursue the matter until Iraq fulfills its commitments to Iran.

Goals of Iranian deputy FM trip to Poland

Kanaani also mentioned the recent trip to Poland by Ali Bagheri Kani, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran, noting that the trip was in response to a shared desire between the two nations to strengthen their ties. 

He continued by saying that there are plans in place for Poland and Iran to continue their bilateral negotiations.