Iran and the European troika have launched negotiations since a couple of weeks ago in order to clear up misunderstandings and move towards cooperation, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said.
In an interview with China’s Phoenix Television in Tehran, the Iranian foreign minister highlighted Iran’s diplomatic efforts to have the sanctions lifted.
Asked if Iran and the US are involved in indirect negotiations despite the tensions in Tehran’s relations with the West, the foreign minister said, “Iran has begun negotiations with Germany, France and the UK for weeks. These negotiations started in Norway and have continued until recently in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.”
He said the purpose of the talks between Iran and the European troika is to find a way to “overcome the misunderstandings” and enable Iran and the EU3 to take the path to “better interaction and cooperation”.
“However, our relations with the European Union and with the bulk of Europe are normal and progressive,” he added.
Amirabdollahian stated that the administration of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is pursuing two policies at the same time to counter the sanctions.
“The first course entails efforts to nullify the sanctions and the other path is efforts at the termination of sanctions with the use of diplomacy and negotiations. We are keeping to both paths,” he noted.
Several rounds of negotiations between the signatories to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) have taken place in the Austrian capital since 2021 in order to explore the possibility of the agreement’s revival and the lifting of the unjustified economic sanctions against Iran.
The persistent refusal of Washington to abide by Iran’s red lines caused numerous interruptions in the negotiations.
Iran has reminded the US and the European troika of their mistaken impression that they can apply pressures to win concessions in the course of negotiations, warning that Tehran will respond to sanctions and acts of interference.
