Agreement within reach in Vienna if major powers respect others’ interests: Iran Parliament speaker

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf says an agreement is within reach between Tehran and the remaining parties to the multilateral 2015 nuclear deal during the ongoing sanctions-removal talks in the Austrian capital of Vienna if the opposite parties respect others’ interests.

Qalibaf made the remarks in a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Friday on the sidelines of the 16th Conference of the Parliamentary Union of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (PUIC). The Turkish parliament speaker, Mustafa Sentop, was also present.

"Major powers must learn that they should not impose their own will on other countries, and that an agreement is within reach if they accept to respect the interests of others," Qalibaf said.

Since April, Vienna has been hosting negotiations on a revival of the nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which would require the US to remove its anti-Iran sanctions three years after Washington walked out of the deal and slapped the bans on Iran to kill the agreement.

Almost eleven months after Joe Biden was sworn in as president, the United States still refuses to remove the sanctions, despite Biden’s pledge to undo the Iran policy of his predecessor, Donald Trump, and end his failed “maximum pressure” campaign.

We are all in Vienna to reach good deal on sanctions removal, says Iran’s foreign minister

“We are all in Vienna to negotiate to reach a good agreement,” says Iran’s foreign minister.

Although the US withdrawal from the JCPOA and its sanctions, coupled with the three European parties’ submission to Washington’s illegal moves, prompted Iran to legally reduce its nuclear undertakings, the four countries have upped the ante in the talks, shifting the blame on Iran and voicing concerns over its nuclear measures.

Elsewhere in the meeting, Qalibaf stressed the importance of improving Tehran-Ankara economic ties, saying the two sides are finalizing a comprehensive document on cooperation, which demonstrates their firm determination to boost relations.

The top Iranian parliamentarian added that Tehran supports a 3+3 format cooperation mechanism – comprising the three South Caucasus countries, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan plus Russia, Turkey and Iran.

"All countries in the Caucasus should have good relations with each other. This important [issue] can contribute to the development of the region," he emphasized.

Erdogan hopes Vienna talks will yield fair results

The Turkish president, for his part, said he hopes the Vienna talks would achieve fair results aimed at implementing the nuclear deal. Erdogan said despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Iran and Turkey have managed to promote economic cooperation, adding the two countries should work more to further enhance the ties.

Referring to the latest developments in Afghanistan, he called on international bodies to help Iran overcome the crisis of Afghan refugees who had fled their country after the Taliban takeover.

International community must swiftly send humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, neighbors: Iran

An Iranian diplomat says the international community must speed up the delivery of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan and its neighboring states hosting Afghan refugees.

Erdogan expressed hope to visit Tehran in the near future.

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