“Iran won’t have bilateral negotiations with US”: Khatibzadeh

Speaking at a weekly press conference on Monday, Khatibzadeh referred to Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s recent regional trip to Azerbaijan, Russia, Armenia, Georgia, Turkey and Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, saying, “This tour was one of the most important and successful regional trips by Zarif”.

He said, “During the trip, issues such as regional cooperation, the importance of securing permanent peace and stability and Iran’s proposal for a 3+3 format cooperation mechanism for regional cooperation were discussed”.

Speaking about Iran’s nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and negotiations with the US, Khatibzadeh stated, “We won’t have bilateral negotiations with Washington and Americans should return to their commitments under the JCPOA, lift all sanctions and implement UNSCR 2231”.

“Not only did the United States failed to fulfill its obligations, but it also violated UN Security Council Resolution 2231, they left the JCPOA with one signature, but they cannot return to it with one signature,” he added.

“The capital of Iranians must be available, that is, the oil must be easily sold and its money returned to the country. Whenever they do, we will respond. Returning of the United States to JCPOA is not automatic and with one signature. Any necessary negotiations must take place within the framework of the JCPOA commissions,” the spokesman went on to say.

About the Burmese military coup in Myanmar, Khatibzadeh said, “This happened last night. We do not have an embassy in Burma and the information channels are blocked.”

“We expressed serious concerns about the situation of minorities in Burma,” he stressed.

Commenting on reports which claim that a Taliban call for the resignation of the Afghanistan’s incumbent government has been discussed during the visit of the Taliban group to Tehran, Khatibzadeh said that only news published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are credible.

He added that Foreign Minister Zarif has stressed in the meeting that no government can be formed in the country unless it is based on national resolve and votes of the Afghan people.

“The Taliban are part of the reality of Afghanistan. They have several offices in some countries and are in direct talks with the Afghan government,” the spokesman noted.

“This visit was made with the knowledge of the Afghan government and in the framework of the ongoing talks between the Afghan government and this group,” Khatibzadeh added.

Regarding Iran-Saudi Arabia relations, he noted, “We said many times that our position is to cooperate in the region without foreign intervention, which is the root of the crisis, trouble and insecurity in the region”.

“Some neighbors had the illusion that Trump was a window of opportunity for them, so they made a mistake. Of course, as Iran has repeatedly stated, whenever Saudi Arabia corrects this path and ends the Yemeni war and accepts that it should have stable arrangements in the regional dialogue, our arms are open for dialogue,” Khatibzadeh emphasized.